Schools closed after 3 pupils collapse from smoke

At least three schools were shut down in the Ojota area of Lagos on Friday, March 16, 2018, after three pupils of Ikosi High School, Ketu, reportedly collapsed following heavy smoke from the Olusosun dump.

In a report by The Punch, the pollution, caused by the fire at the famous dumpsite on Wednesday, March 14, has forced residents and business owners to desert the area in alarm.

An SS2 student of Ikosi High School named Lateef told Punch that teachers asked them to go home at 11 am as a result of the danger the smoke posed to their health.

The decision to send the students home followed a frightening event which happened on Thursday, March 15, when three students of the school collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital for medical attention, according to Lateef.

Other students confirmed the report and said the incident has led to a panic for the safety of everyone in the area.

According to The Punch, other schools that were closed between Thursday and Friday due to the dumpsite fire include Ikosi Junior High School, Ikosi Primary School and Express Nursery and Primary School 1 and 2.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos Fire Service, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) responded to the scene of the fire on Wednesday.

The fire, whose cause remains unknown, started around 4pm and even though there was no human casualty recorded, seven buses belonging to Asset Management Limited got burnt.