Residents of Maitama, Katampe, Mpape, and their surrounding areas in Abuja, have been thrown into panic and expressing concerns over cases of earth tremors, which has persisted since last weekend.
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 magnitude 3.2 around Mpape.
Residents, in multiple reports said the latest incident occurred on Saturday and persisted till the early hours of yesterday as they experience recurring vibrations.
The tremors, which have caused widespread anxiety, were most notably felt between 11.00 p.m. and 11.20 p.m. on Monday. Already, several residents have taken to social media to express their shock and seek answers from authorities. One of the residents, Shola Adesoye, noted the continuous vibrations, questioning why no official word has been issued by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) or other relevant authorities.
Tunde Dinero also echoed same sentiment, highlighting that there has been no word from the Federal Ministry of Environment, which oversees such natural occurrences.
Following the 2018 incident, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and some experts ruled out 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 has released an official statement addressing the suspected tremors.
Meanwhile, residents are hoping for clarification and guidance as they continue to feel the effects of these unexplained vibrations, which some fear could escalate into more severe geological activity.
Chairman of Mpape Hills Landlord Association, Dr Ebenezer Adebisi, told newsmen yesterday that residents had been experiencing the vibration in the last 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 the 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 vibration was more intense throughout Sunday and Monday night, adding that, “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.
He said urgent measures needed 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 urged the residents to consider temporary relocation if the tremor continued.
