Abuja tremor: FEMA uncertain of cause

The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has expressed uncertainty over the cause of recent earth tremor experienced in areas such as Gwarinpa, Mpape, Kubwa and Maitama in Abuja.

Mr Idris Abass, the Director-General of the agency on Tuesday in Abuja, said the agency was yet to establish whether it was man-made or natural.

He however said that if it was a natural phenomenon, nothing would stop it because it could only stop on its own.

“Like the information we earlier passed, it only happened for a while and stopped, but today we are happy to report that there is no case of the tremor again.’’

The D-G said that it had not been established whether the tremor was man-made or natural.

He noted that if it was natural, it was bound to happen again after 12 years.

“If it is caused by the activities of those who are blasting and drilling boreholes around the areas, it can also reoccur.

Abass however said that the activities of the drillers had since been stopped, adding that if it was man-made it would not reoccur until their activities returned.

“We are carrying out adequate steps to determine what happened last week; maybe it is a natural cause, but we want to assure the public that Nigeria is not on the zone of earthquakes.

“Some people are arguing that tremor is an earthquake, earthquake is the total destruction of activities, buildings and the earth itself.

“From what we have seen, there is no trace of any crack on the wall or on the earth when the shaking occurred,’’ he said.

He said that FEMA would collaborate with other agencies, especially the Geological Survey of Nigeria to ensure that it unravelled the situation.

“On our own part, we are developing the response plan for this kind of emergency disaster.’’

He said that FEMA would embark on advocacy and sensitisation to the general public to tell them what to do and what not to do in case of any reoccurrence.

He said that FEMA would also inform the public that if it was a natural phenomenon, adding that nothing could be done to stop it

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