THE sudden eruption of the Abelakpam and Ba-Mbatyough mountains in the Mkomon District of Kwande in Benue State may have come to many as a surprise but certainly not to the local residents who evidently have witnessed such before. The eruption is said to be the third in 15 years and is the most devastating and the first to claim lives in the area.
What has been lacking so far is creating the right awareness and enlightenment among members of the public about the existence of active seismic activities in parts of the country. Since 1984, for instance, there have been a number of earth tremors recorded in parts of South-western Nigeria. And, in August 2000, an earth tremor, which hit Zaria, threw the local people into pandemonium.
The Benue eruption therefore serves as a wake up call on the authorities to act pro-actively in this area of disaster management. Structures should be put in place to monitor as well as tackle such disasters whenever they occur.
The eruption underscores the fact that Nigeria is not immune to seismic activity even though the country is not located in the major earthquake zones of the world. The fact that the mountains around us haven’t erupted in living memory is no guarantee that they would never erupt in future. A dormant volcano is like a sleeping lion, which is bound to wake up. For such volcanoes, it may take quite a long time for major tectonic activity to occur.
Besides, when it is realised that mountains are products of tectonic forces that occurred millions of years ago, the possibility of such tectonic forces recurring can’t be totally ruled out. On that basis, the onus is on the Federal Government and the country’s universities to research potentially active zones of the country that are prone to tectonic movement. Such action is needed to protect the citizenry from avoidable negative impacts.
Geographically, Abelakpan and Ba-Mbatyough are part of the Cameroun Mountain Range bordering Nigeria and Cameroun. The Cameroun Mountain is a potentially active volcano. The area is in the volcanic belt running from Adamawa down through the Benue Mountains. It is therefore not surprising that the associated mountains are equally active. From the accounts of the local residents, Abelakpan and Ba-Mbatyough have been known to be active for many years.
The eruption reportedly occurred on October 13 killing one person and injuring another. That was the day the community was holding the annual thanksgiving service of its local church. A large crowd had gathered to celebrate the event when the eruption occurred.
Thus, as the event was still going on, people noticed heavy vibration of the land surface across the area. The vibration was followed by lava flow from the mountains, which covered the wells, streams, trees and houses. There was pandemonium as lava spewed into the village forcing people to run helter-skelter with some struggling to salvage their property. The victim, identified as Shaaka Aja, reportedly wanted to feel the lava and was killed in the process. The eruption reportedly occurred from six points on the mountain terrain.
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