By Jude Michael
There was palpable panic among residents of Maitama, Katampe, Mpape, and their surrounding areas in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, following what appeared to be multiple earth tremors recently.
Earth tremor, a minor or brief movement of the earth’s surface, triggered by the same forces responsible for earthquakes, had been previously reported in the nation’s capital city in September 2018, occurring at a magnitude of 3.2 around Mpape.
Residents, in multiple reports, according to a Guardian report, said the latest incident occurred on Saturday, September 14 and persisted till the early hours of the 17th as they experienced recurring vibrations.
The tremors, which caused widespread anxiety, were most notably felt between 11.00 p.m. and 11.20 p.m. on Monday, September 16, with several residents taking to social media to express their shock and to seek answers from authorities.
One of the residents, Shola Adesoye, noted the continuous vibrations, questioning why no official word had been issued by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) or other relevant authorities.
Tunde Dinero also echoed same sentiment, highlighting that there had been no word from the Federal Ministry of Environment which oversees such natural occurrences.
It will be recalled that following the 2018 incident, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and some experts ruled out the possibility of serious earthquakes, while the NGSA was said to have installed four Guralp 3ESPC seismographs purchased since in December 2019 for real-time earthquake monitoring within the capital city and across the country.
As at the time of this report, neither the NGSA nor the Federal Ministry of Environment had released an official statement addressing the suspected tremors.
Meanwhile, residents were said to be still hoping for clarification and guidance as they continued to feel the effects of those unexplained vibrations while they lasted, with some fearing that it could escalate into more severe geological activity.
The Chairman of Mpape Hills Landlord Association, Dr Ebenezer Adebisi, told newsmen that residents had been experiencing the vibration over a period of five days.
Adebisi, who is a retired Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said it was not the first time the residents of the area were having such an experience. He said although it happened some years ago, it had become more consistent in those past five days.
According to him, residents of the area felt the tremors and vibrations were more than the usual ones they experienced during the blasting of rocks in the area by quarry firms.
He said the vibrations were more intense throughout the Sunday and Monday night of September 15 and 16. ‘We don’t really know what would have caused the vibration. I have also confirmed that those in Gwarinpa and Katampe areas are also experiencing the same thing, but the government has not said anything officially up till now. It is important we let Nigerians know the situation now; we are calling on the government and the NGSA to come to the rescue of residents,’ Adebisi pleaded.
He called for urgent measures to be taken before things got out of hand, urging the government to advise the residents on the next line of action.
An official of the NGSA who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to do so, had urged the residents to consider temporary relocation if the tremors continued.
