Government urged to evacuate residents of Danejam rocky range

Government urged to evacuate residents of Danejam rocky range
Timothy Choji, Gombe

Scientists have advised the Nigerian government to evacuate the residents of the Danejam rocky range in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe state, north eastern Nigeria, following possible volcanic action in the area.

The call was made on Sunday by Environmental Scientists with the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency, during an assessment tour at the site of the rock emitting smoke.

Health danger

They said there was high deposit of sulphur form the emission, which was highly poisonous and not healthy for the residents.

One of the scientists, Kingsley Nwogu, said that a volcanic eruption may occur at the area as the temperature was higher than normal.

The declaration confirmed the fear of residents, who have been living in fear since the emission started.

Possible emission causes

Mr Femi Ologun of the Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics, who said the area had an Earthquake history, witnessed years back, also confirmed the possibility of a volcanic activity in Danejam.

Explaining the possible cause of the gas emission, Mr Ologun noted that the gas was not surface gas but gas that comes from the depth of the earth.

He said: “This tells us that there must have been a weak zone. There must have been a crack where this gas is coming out from.  A lot of things can result to the gas. Over the time when the segments were coming together some of these were trapped within the material so maybe they are just trusting out now.”

He said that it could also result due to the building up of magma, which was a major sign that something beneath the earth is building up.

Nwogu said that there was need for a test to be carried out to determine the cause and extent of the reaction beneath the rock.

Urgent action necessary

The scientist called on the government to act fast and seek a lasting solution to the situation.

The spokesman of the Gombe State’s Ministry for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar, said that the report by the experts would be submitted to the government stressing the position of the site and equally suggesting that an urgent action should be taken to prevent any possible danger.  

Williams