Suspected earth tremors rock Maitama, Katampe in Abuja

Residents of Maitama, Katampe, Mpape, and their surrounding areas in Abuja, have expressed concerns over cases of earth tremors which have persisted since last weekend.

Earth tremors, a minor or brief movement of the Earth’s surface, triggered by the same forces responsible for earthquakes, had been previously reported in the capital in September 2018 which was said to occur at magnitude 3.2 around Mpape.

Residents, in multiple reports, said the latest incident occurred on Saturday and persisted to the early hours of today as they experienced recurring vibrations.

The tremors, which have caused widespread concern, 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 National Geological Survey or other relevant authorities.

“This is incredible. No news from our National Geological survey centre,” Adesoye said.

Tunde Dinero also echoed the sentiment, highlighting that there has been no word from the Federal Ministry of Environment, which oversees such natural occurrences.

According to him, the situation has worsened at night, disrupting sleep in the affected areas.

Following the 2018 incident, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and some experts ruled out the possibility of serious earthquakes while the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) was said to have installed four Guralp 3ESPC seismographs purchased in December 2019 for real-time earthquake monitoring within the capital and nationwide.

As of the time of this report, neither the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency nor the Federal Ministry of Environment has released an official statement addressing the suspected tremors.