FCT Minister Suspends Mining Activities In Abuja Following Tremors

The FCT Minister Muhammad Bello announced yesterday that all mining, quarrying activities and borehole drilling have been suspended in parts of Abuja.

This is in reaction to the recent earth tremors that occurred in the territory. The suspension will persist pending the result of the investigation into the cause of the tremors. The minister also visited the epicenter of the earth tremors in Mpape, Abuja recently.

Speaking for the minister, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, assured residents that there was no cause for alarm as Abuja does not lie in any major seismic danger zone.
The minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Cosmas Uzodinma, said preliminary reports on the tremors indicated that rock blasting from quarrying, mining activities and proliferation of borehole drilling might have caused the situation.

Consequently, he stressed, it became necessary to suspend all quarrying activities in various sites of Abuja, especially Mpape, Garki, Gwarimpa and contiguous areas.