Renewed Tremors in Bayelsa, Rivers Spark Calls for Investigation

 

By Wakirike Herald

Renewed ground vibrations in communities along the Bayelsa and Rivers border have prompted calls for an urgent scientific investigation, following residents’ accounts of shaking buildings, displaced household items and people fleeing their homes and businesses.

Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) made the appeal in a statement on Sunday after visiting communities affected by the vibrations reported on Thursday, October 8.

The organisation said its field team, led by Chief Alagoa Morris and Emmanuel Ezue, visited Kalaba, Ikarama, Mbiama and Iluma on Saturday to document residents’ experiences across Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The cause of the vibrations remains undetermined. ECARD urged authorities to establish what happened, whether residents face any danger and what preventive measures may be necessary.

Residents Describe Sudden Shaking

At Mbiama, a vulcaniser, Chimezie Madu, said the vibrations sent residents rushing towards the East-West Road because they feared that a heavy structure had collapsed.

He recalled a similar incident years earlier, during which a pot his mother was cooking with reportedly shook on the fire.

A fruit seller, Benita Douglas, said she fell to the ground during the latest incident. She also reported that another trader’s table broke, scattering the trader’s wares.

Innocent Ezebuwo, an Iluma resident who was visiting Mbiama market, said traders abandoned their shops to find out what had caused the shaking.

He appealed for a government investigation, saying his community had experienced similar incidents more than three times about four years ago.

Ezebuwo noted that the earlier incidents occurred in an area where the Nigerian Agip Oil Company had operated before Oando took over its assets. His account, however, does not establish a connection between those operations and the vibrations.

Another resident, Caroline Theophilus, said the sudden shaking frightened her into fleeing her home without knowing where to seek safety.

Reports of Building Damage

In Kalaba, 51-year-old Freeborn Roland placed the incident between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., saying it shook his house and roofing sheets.

Roland said he initially suspected strong winds and asked his son whether he had also felt the movement.

Residents of Ikarama, including Levi Daniel, Christian Johnson, Joseph and Gift Stanley, also described intense vibrations in the ground and buildings.

Johnson, 48, said he initially feared an earthquake, recalling a similar experience at Mbiama about five years ago. No scientific finding presented in ECARD’s statement confirmed that the latest incident was an earthquake.

Chief Gbaka Amos, the traditional ruler of Freetown, said the vibrations caused widespread fear and that cracks had reportedly appeared in some buildings.

Those reports raise questions about possible structural damage, although its extent and connection to the vibrations have yet to be established through a technical assessment.

Earlier Incidents Raise Questions

ECARD said available records indicated that communities in the area had experienced similar tremors in June 2014 and July 2016.

According to the organisation, the July 2016 incident reportedly affected Ikarama, Igbogene, Akenfa, Mbiama, Akinima and Akinowiso, among other communities across the two states.

Earlier incidents had been suspected to involve seismic activities associated with oil industry operations, particularly in 2016. ECARD stressed, however, that its latest field observations had not identified nearby seismic activity that could explain the renewed vibrations.

It cautioned against attributing the phenomenon to oil operations without scientific evidence.

Authorities Urged to Provide Answers

ECARD called on relevant state and federal agencies, professional associations and scientific bodies to investigate the incidents and provide reliable information to affected communities.

The organisation said an investigation should address public concerns, determine whether the vibrations pose a danger and guide appropriate preventive action.

It also urged greater attention to environmental and ecological incidents, stressing that uncertainty about their causes should prompt research rather than official silence.

For residents who have described repeated episodes of unexplained shaking, the immediate need is for a credible assessment of the ground vibrations and reported building damage, alongside clear guidance on safety.

Wakirike Herald
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