Earth tremor: Abuja community plans relocation, FG allays fears

Nathaniel Shaibu and Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis

Some residents of Mpape, a suburban community in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, have insisted that they would rather flee the community for safer places than live in fear of a disaster owing to the recurrent earth tremors experienced in the area in the last few days.

The development comes after the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency released a statement on Wednesday assuring the residents that the tremors recorded were low and posed no threat to the community.

According to the statement by the Director General, Professor Olusegun Ige, approximately 48 separate earthquakes were recorded, with both intensity and frequency increasing between Friday, September 13th, and Monday, September 16th.

“The NGSA Monitoring Station at Katampe has been capturing several significant ground motions with high moment magnitudes in the past five days, from September 13, 2024, till date.

“Of these incidents, only one mild event was recorded on September 13th. Six of these events were captured on the 14th of September, while over 21 events were captured on the 15th with higher intensities.

“More than 20 events were recorded on the 16th of September. The intensity and frequency of the tremor appear to increase from September 13th to 16th. There are a few weak events recorded today, 17th September.

“The intensities of the tremors are weak to light, ranging from III-IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale, and pose a very low-level threat. The residents of Mpape, Katampe, Maitama, and other areas where the tremors were felt are advised not to panic as the tremors can be generally described as low,” the statement read.

However, residents say they would not take chances with their lives, but evacuate the area to prevent loss of lives and property.

Tahir Usman, a family man with three children, said after living in Katampe for more than a decade and experiencing several tremors, he was hoping to move his family to safety as soon as he could.

“I have been here now more than 10 years. Sometimes you will hear the shaking very loud as if it is a bomb blast. Sometimes, we do feel movement under the ground. There used to be a quarry here, and so we used to assume that they were blasting rocks, but we found out that is not the case.

“On Sunday, it was very serious, after that rain that fell. In fact, I was afraid that it might lead to building collapse, because some of us now have little cracks on the wall. Thank God nothing happened.

“Despite what the government people are saying, if I get money to move my family, I will move. What they did not say is that it doesn’t pose a threat now. It can become life-threatening in the future. But before that happens, I will look for a safer place to move my family,” he said.

Also, Mr Jimoh Halidu, a civil servant who also has lived in the area for more than 15 years, said although the government had given multiple assurances over the years, he was “better safe than sorry.”

“I think the last time we experienced something like that here in Katampe was 2020. That was four years ago, and I have been living here since about year 2000. I think before I moved here, there was something like that in 1999. All those times, the government people came and said nothing was wrong, just like they are saying now. But they don’t live here. We know the fear and terror we feel. Imagine hearing that there were 48 incidences in just four days. I and my family are better than sorry. If not for the way things are, I will move without hesitating,” he said.

In Gishiri, another community in the area, a man who only identified himself as John, noted that although the government had given assurances that all was well, there must be constant reassurance to totally allay residents’ fears.

“This kind of thing, we don’t need just one statement. When another one happens, will they let us know? They should give regular updates before we have to cry out again. If we didn’t, would we have had from them this time? So the agency must be on its toes. There are hundreds of lives and properties at risk.”

In Maitama, a civil servant, Mrs Lilian Udoka, faulted the government for always waiting until lives were at risk before taking measures, adding that she was worried about the risks posed to her children.

“My problem is that government agencies are usually reactionary. Imagine having a survey centre close by, and it took a few days before they would respond to calm people. What if something had happened, then we would have been visited by the Emergency agency, isn’t it? Government agencies must do better. My children are my main concern. And the truth is, calling it low tremors means one day, they could be high. So if I had my way, I would move,” she said.

The FCT Emergency Management Department had yet to release its assessment of the tremors, as of the time of filing this report, despite being contacted by our correspondent.

But the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Dr Matthew Adepoju, at a press conference in Abuja, urged residents not to panic.

Adepoju insisted that people in the area should avoid panic, saying the situation was under control.

The space scientist also disclosed that quarry workers and excavators working in the affected areas had been ordered to suspend their activities.

He said, “It has not got to the stage of panic yet. We want to assure the people of Mpape and Abuja that the earth tremors we had are not the type that can cause earthquakes. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you on a regular basis.

“Again, earth tremor is not peculiar to Nigeria. This is a global phenomenon known to the whole world. Unlike the Tsunami that happened in the Asia Pacific Ocean, the ones we are having here are minor ones that have nothing to do with earthquakes.

“On the issues concerning the drilling, excavation and blasting of rocks, we have been reliably told that the activities have been stopped along that axis. It is a big credit to the FCT Administration and we implore them to do more so that we will not aggravate the seismic activities along the frontlines. This is because human activities have a way of impacting as well.”

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, also shared a similar sentiment, saying all hands are on deck to avert any disaster.

“Many may recall that Mpape experienced a similar sequence of earth tremors from September 5 to 7, 2018, which drew significant local and international attention to Nigeria’s increasing seismic activity. The recent tremors were accompanied by loud noises and ground shaking, causing widespread alarm among the residents of Mpape.

“In response, the government is currently processing and analysing comprehensive datasets from its Seismological and GNSS stations to provide relevant recommendations to the FCT Administration.

“We urge the residents of Mpape, and by extension the wider Abuja area, to remain calm and continue their normal activities. NASRDA is closely monitoring the situation and will soon implement measures to mitigate the seismic risks,” he said.