THE Federal Government has initiated a thorough investigation into the root causes of the recent earth tremors that rattled the Mpape area in Abuja.
The tremors, which began on the night of September 16, 2024, alarmed residents, with reports of six to eight seismic events being recorded. First detected at about 11:00 p.m., the tremors led to widespread concern due to loud noises and ground shaking in the vicinity.
During a ministerial press briefing, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Uche Nnaji, assured the public that a team of experts from the Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics (an arm of the National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA) is actively analyzing the tremors using sophisticated earthquake analysis software.
According to data from seismographs, the tremors included three foreshocks and three aftershocks, with the main seismic event occurring at 11:18:37 p.m., which recorded a local magnitude of 3.1 and a focal depth of 11 km.
This significant geological disturbance, experts believe, may be attributed to the reactivation of faults within the Mpape locality, a region that has experienced similar tremors in the past, notably between September 5 and 7, 2018.
Nnaji emphasized that while these tremors have understandably caused alarm, residents should remain calm as NASRDA continues to monitor the situation closely. He also assured that the government is analyzing comprehensive data from seismic and GNSS stations to formulate mitigation strategies.
In addition to the tremors, the minister warned of imminent flood risks to southern region due to overflow from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. The overflow, which had already affected 18,737 hectares of land by mid-September, poses significant threats to communities. He said the government is working closely with international agencies to monitor the situation and issue timely warnings.
Residents of the affected areas are encouraged to remain vigilant and follow all safety guidelines as authorities continue to investigate and respond to these natural events.
News Point Nigeria reports that from the accounts of the residents of the affected areas, the observations by the NGSA team, and findings from earlier interpretations of the airborne geophysical data over the area and adjoining areas, it said the following conclusions were made:
-The tremors are a result of accumulated stress along the identified faults and released seismic energy, which may have travelled through associated fractures to areas where the tremors were felt around the FCT.
-There are multiple epicentres associated with the recent tremor. Most of the epicentres are located northeast of the NGSA-5 Seismic Station around Mpape axis, while a few are located southwest of the Station around Katampe axis.
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, and
-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 Agency is keeping a close monitoring of the situation and will provide updates as may become necessary.
It advised the public to also be aware that the NGSA Seismic Stations are being monitored in real-time to ensure prompt alerts on any major event.