Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) has called for an urgent scientific investigation into renewed earth tremors reported in communities in Bayelsa and Rivers states, following accounts of shaking buildings, damaged property and widespread panic among residents.
The environmental organisation made the call after conducting a field investigation into ground vibrations experienced on Thursday, October 8, in communities across Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
ECARD’s field team, led by Emmanuel Ezue and Alagoa Morris, visited Kalaba and Ikarama in Bayelsa, as well as Mbiama and Iluma in Rivers, on Saturday to document residents’ experiences and assess the impact of the incident.
Residents told the team that the vibrations shook their buildings, displaced household items and triggered panic, forcing some to flee their homes and business premises.
At Mbiama, a vulcaniser, Chimezie Madu, said residents rushed out of their buildings towards the East-West Road, fearing that a heavy structure had collapsed.
Madu recalled experiencing a similar incident years ago, when a pot his mother was using to cook reportedly shook while sitting on the fire.
A fruit seller, Benita Douglas, said the tremor caused a trader’s table to break, scattering goods, while she fell to the ground during the incident.
Similarly, Innocent Ezebuwo, a resident of Iluma who was at Mbiama market when the vibrations occurred, said traders abandoned their shops to find out what was happening.
He urged government authorities to investigate the recurring phenomenon, noting that his community had experienced similar incidents more than three times about four years ago.
According to Ezebuwo, the earlier occurrences were recorded in his community, where the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, whose assets have since been taken over by Oando, operated.
Another resident, Caroline Theophilus, said the sudden shaking frightened her so much that she ran out of her home without knowing where to seek safety.
In Kalaba, 51-year-old Freeborn Roland said the incident occurred between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., shaking his house and roofing sheets.
He said he initially suspected strong winds and had to ask his son whether he also felt the vibrations.
Residents of Ikarama, including Levi Daniel, Christian Johnson, Joseph and Gift Stanley, also described intense vibrations that affected the ground and buildings.
Johnson, 48, said he initially feared that the community was about to experience an earthquake. He recalled a similar incident at Mbiama about five years ago.
The paramount ruler of Freetown, Chief Gbaka Amos, also confirmed the widespread fear triggered by the incident, adding that cracks had been observed in some buildings.
Amos warned that the recurring phenomenon could heighten anxiety among residents and called for a thorough investigation to establish its cause and possible implications for public safety.
Previous Occurrences Raise Concerns
ECARD said available records showed that the affected communities 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 Bayelsa and Rivers states.
It noted that some of the previous occurrences had been suspected to be associated with seismic activities linked to oil industry operations, particularly during the 2016 incident.
However, ECARD said its latest field observations did not identify any nearby seismic activity that could conclusively explain the renewed ground vibrations.
The organisation stressed that the cause of the latest incident remained unknown, warning against attributing it to oil industry operations without credible scientific evidence.
It called on relevant state and federal government agencies, in collaboration with professional organisations and scientific institutions, to investigate the incidents and provide reliable information to affected communities.
ECARD said a thorough investigation would help establish the nature and possible causes of the vibrations, determine whether they posed any danger to residents and guide the adoption of appropriate preventive measures.
The organisation also urged governments to pay greater attention to environmental and ecological concerns, stressing that timely information, scientific research and effective public communication were essential to protecting lives and property.
It maintained that recurring environmental incidents should not be ignored simply because their causes had yet to be established, urging authorities to act promptly to prevent further uncertainty and possible risks to affected communities.
