· Environmental group, seeks Investigation

By Grace Igwe, Yenagoa

Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) has called for an urgent investigation into renewed earth tremors reported in border communities of Bayelsa and Rivers.

The group made the call following a field investigation into ground vibrations experienced on Thursday, Oct. 8, in communities across Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa and Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers.

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.

Residents reported that the vibrations shook buildings, displaced household items and caused panic, forcing some people to flee their homes and businesses.

At Mbiama, a vulcaniser, Chimezie Madu, said residents rushed out of buildings towards the East-West Road, fearing that a heavy structure had collapsed.

He recalled experiencing a similar incident years earlier, when the pot his mother was cooking reportedly shook on the fire.

A fruit seller, Benita Douglas, said the vibration caused another trader’s table to break, scattering her wares, while she fell to the ground.

In Iluma, Innocent Ezebuwo, who was visiting Mbiama market when the incident occurred, said traders abandoned their shops to ascertain the cause of the shaking.

He appealed to government authorities to investigate the recurring phenomenon, adding that his community had experienced similar incidents more than three times about four years ago.

Ezebuwo said the earlier incidents occurred in his community, where the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, whose assets have since been taken over by Oando, had operated.

Another resident, Caroline Theophilus, said the sudden vibration frightened her so much that she ran out of her home without knowing where to seek safety.

In Kalaba, a 51-year-old resident, Freeborn Roland, said the vibration occurred between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., shaking his house and roofing sheets.

He said he initially suspected strong winds and asked his son whether he also felt the shaking.

At Ikarama, residents Levi Daniel, Christian Johnson, Joseph and Gift Stanley described similar experiences, saying the ground and buildings vibrated intensely.

Johnson, 48, said he initially feared that the community was about to experience an earthquake, recalling a similar incident at Mbiama about five years ago.

Chief Gbaka Amos, the paramount ruler of Freetown, also reported that the vibration caused widespread fear and that cracks were observed in some buildings.

He warned that the incident could cause serious anxiety among residents and called for proper investigation.

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

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

It noted that some previous incidents had been suspected to be associated with seismic activities linked to oil industry operations, particularly during the 2016 occurrence.

However, ECARD said its latest observations did not identify any nearby seismic activity that could explain the renewed vibrations.

The organisation stressed that the cause of the phenomenon remained undetermined and should not be attributed to oil industry operations without scientific evidence.

It urged the relevant state and federal government agencies, alongside professional and scientific bodies, to investigate the incidents and provide reliable information to affected communities.

ECARD said such investigations would help address public concerns, establish whether the vibrations posed any danger and guide appropriate preventive measures.

It also called for greater government attention to environmental and ecological issues, stressing that timely information and scientific research were essential to protecting lives and property.

The organisation maintained that authorities should not ignore recurring environmental incidents because their causes had yet to be established.