Residents in panic over earth tremor in Abuja community

Residents in Mpape community, an Abuja suburb in Bwari Area Council in the FCT, were thrown into panic, following a mini earth tremor noted around a section of the community, going into the third day.

Mpape is situated less than 10 minutes’ from the Abuja highbrow district of Maitama. It’s densely populated with many low earners as well as the middle class among its residents.

Residents who spoke to the Daily Trust during a visit yesterday disclosed that the earth tremor experience, accompanied with a devastated sound, was first noticed on Saturday and continued on Sunday as well as yesterday, Monday.

The situation is well noted around areas like P.W Neighbourhood, and Mopol 24 barracks, two areas sandwiched by the lonely single road that leads into the community. It has also been heard around Katampe junction, the area linked with the Murtala Muhammad Expressway.

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A resident, Obinna Ngozi said the buildings shake whenever the movement takes place, causing fear in the minds of the residents.

The resident said he noticed the movement about 10 times on Saturday alone from when it started sometime around 4 pm, adding that the situation got worse the following day, Sunday.

Another resident who gave his name as Muhammad Ibrahim, said he earlier mistook the development as a bomb blast, as according to him, it sounded quite different from that of quarry mining, in which the area has made its name in the past.

A mining blaster, Nasiru Ahmad who spent years in the profession within the community noted that one can hardly be able to understand where the sound is originating from, unlike that of stone blasting, that is easy to be identified.

He, however, described a similar incident that took place about three years ago in the area as a more devastating one, which according to him was felt at far districts of Gishiri, Jahi, Maitama, as well as AYA, in Asokoro District, in the FCT.

A chief in the community, Peter David, said the last incident had originated from the Arab Road area in the community about three years ago. “Following that incident, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had sanctioned all mining activities in the community.

“However, the compliance only lasted for about three months, before the operators returned back to their known sites, and continued with their mining activities,” the chief added.