Osun: 35 students knocked out during Police teargas drill attack
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
No fewer than thirty-five (35) students of Fakunle Comprehensive High School Osogbo, Osun State capital on Tuesday collapsed and were hospitalised after teargas used by the police during morning drill affected the students.
The school which is located around Osogbo township stadium opposite the 39 Squadron Divisions of mobile policemen along Osogbo-Ikirun road was affected by the breeze of the tear-gas.
The incident caused commotion among the students and the teachers of the secondary school.
It was gathered that the students were inside the classroom when the teargas attack occurred.
The intensity of the breeze of the teargas affected the students and led some of the affected students to faint.
A source in the school disclosed, “When the tear-gas attack occurred many of our students are fainting and we were taking them to the hospital but at a point, many of the students ran for safety, we were forced to close the school for the day.”.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Adelani Aderinola, through the Information Officer, Roseline Olawuni, said the mobile policemen were holding memorial exercise in honour of their fallen colleagues in Benue State when they used the tear-gas that affected the students.
“They were shooting tear gas which affected the students on the school. However, the matter has been escalated to the Police Commissioner and has stopped the exercise. The students have been taken to the hospital and most of them have been stabilised.”
The spokesperson of Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola confirmed that the police did not fire the teargas inside the school but they were just using it for their drill.
“We have ordered them to stop the action. We are sorry for inconvenience.”
Speaking, the Head of Corporation Osun ambulance, Mrs Arowosafe Elizabeth Olayemi, explained that, “We moved 11 patients to Uniosun and the others were taken to spring hospital very close to the school at Aderin, because before we got there the school authority already took the students to the private hospital, you know we cannot just disagree with them because the lives of the students are so important to us.
“So, we have to agree with them, it is when the Spring Hospital was occupied, we moved the remaining students to Uniosun. We have 11 at Uniosun and the remaining students are at Spring Hospital. In all, about 35 students were rushed to the hospitals, according to the information given to us.
“We were there early enough, within 5 minutes we were there because we have an ambulance close to that place, we have an ambulance at stadium and you know that place is closer. Immediately they called me, I told them to move down to the school and I ask them to release the students to go home because the more they inhale that thing the more the people will faint, so I told the principal to release the students to go home so that we can reduce the number.”
