Residents of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, particularly those around Maitama, Gwarinpa, Mpape were roused to an unprecedented earth shaking that left many confused on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Many residents while sharing their experiences expressed shock stating that they had never had such unusual forceful shaking of their homes and shops from a natural disaster since they began living in Abuja.
Sheko Gazza a frightened resident of Mpape area while narrating his experience to vigil360 correspondents said at first he thought
it was a very strong and rare thunder storm that hit the area as his house kept shaking vigorously to the effect of the tremor with objects falling from shelves.
Also speaking, Barrister Samuel appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration to direct relevant agencies to carry out integrity checks on some of the properties affected by the incident to ascertain their habitability, stressing that some of the houses in the affected areas may not be fit for people to live in after all. He explained that his property located in Mpape was seriously affected. he disclosed that out of fear, he had relocated his family to Gwagwalada and would bring them back when normalcy returns.
Other residents particularly around Gwarinpa and Maitama axis also revealed that at the beginning of the strange event around 7pm, they thought it was a bomb attack owing to the force of the occurrence as their windows and doors shook continually.
Meanwhile, some residents have taken to the social media to share their experiences. One @mosanimusa tweeted: "This morning it happened twice my whole house shook; never experienced it before."
Another user @bashiryusuf wrote: "Another heavy tremor just occured at 6.01 a.m. in Maitama, Abuja. Truth is, this seem like a warning for an earthquake. I think the authorities should do some scientific investigation or evacuate residents as a matter of precaution."
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has also taken to the social media to share his thoughts on the incident. Writing on his verified Twitter handle @atiku he said: "I wish to encourage inhabitants of Abuja not to panic following reported cases of tremor experienced in some parts of the city. It will be reassuring to citizens for the relevant authorities to investigate the situation."
Reacting to the development, the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in a press statement issued to newsmen on Friday said it was as a result of earth tremors; "a sign of seismic movement within the earth occasioned by sudden release of energy that makes the ground to shake". The agency assured residents to remain calm and employ safety precautions including locating safe rooms, ducking under tables, desks or tables to evade falling objects. The agency also advised people who are outdoors during such incidents to locate a clear spot away from buildings, trees and power lines."
The Director General, FEMA, Abbas G. Idris said on Thursday that rock blasting and mining activities in an area could contribute to underground rock experiencing stress which could result in the release of energy.
The agency however said that the likelihood of any earthquake in the country was minimal owing to the fact that Nigeria and west Africa are not located within earthquake zone.
Earth tremor otherwise called earthquake or temblor is the shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that recreates seismic waves. The seismicity, or seismic activity, of an area is the frequency, type and size of earthquake experienced over a period of time. Earth Tremors are also described as relatively or short-lived movements of the earth's surface caused by the same forces that produce earthquakes.
Earth tremors are mostly caused by rupture of geological faults, but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests.
