Chaos in Abuja as residents experience what looks like volcanic eruption

Reports say residents of Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have reported what looks like a volcanic eruption with some inflammable substances emitting smoke from the cliff of the hills in the area.

Reports show that a federal government delegation comprising the minister of solid mineral, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, his FCT counterpart, Muhammad Musa Bello, and the director general of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Alex Ndubuisi Nwegbu, visited the affected area on Tuesday, October 2.

The report said the visit occurred after residents sent a distress call over ‘inflammable substances’ in the area. The authorities, however, asked the residents to remain calm as government investigates the incident.

The incident is coming few weeks after an earth tremor that caused panic the area. One of the residents was quoted as saying they first noticed the incident around 5 pm on Tuesday, October 2.

Nwegbu urged the residents not to panic as “this is not the kind of environment where you see volcanic eruption.” The minister of solid minerals also said samples had been taken and they would be analysed so as to determine exactly what happened.

On his part, the FCT minister said the government would ensure the safety of lives and property of the residents. The authorities further said the area would be cordoned off while the examinations last.

It was earlier reported that the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently ruled out every possibility of an earthquake disaster in Nigeria following complaints of earth movement in the FCT.

Credit: NAIJA.NG