Ten Polytechnic Students Hospitalized After Inhaling Poisonous Gas

Ten students from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, are receiving medical treatment in government hospitals after inhaling a poisonous gas during a classroom incident on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Eyewitnesses reported that the affected students, all from the Science Laboratory and Technology Department, were in their lecture hall after a course test when a fight broke out between two students. Amid attempts to break up the altercation, an unknown choking substance was released into the air, allegedly sprayed by one of the students. This caused several students to collapse, with some losing consciousness.

Upon receiving a distress call, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, led an emergency response team to the scene. The affected students were promptly evacuated to Ring Road State Hospital and the University College Hospital for urgent medical care.

Dr. Ajetunmobi confirmed that the students had been stabilised and were receiving appropriate treatment. She called on the institution’s management to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those responsible and ensure they face justice. She also emphasized the need for sensitisation programmes to discourage violence and other harmful behaviours that could endanger lives.

The Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Dr. Taiwo, expressed gratitude to the state government for its swift intervention and assured that the institution would take necessary measures to hold those responsible accountable.