Fears
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, May 15, 2018 (NAN) The Oyo State Government has allayed the fears of residents, especially those in Oke-Ogun, following the recent earth movements in the area.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Solid Minerals, Mr Mathew Oyedokun, said in a statement on Tuesday in Ibadan that the incident was misinterpreted as an earth quake.
He said the incident was as a result of force exploration leading to meteorite breakages of Galatica Rock on the earth surface.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some communities in Oke-Ogun area of the state had on April 19 experienced strange earth movements accompanied by a disturbing noise.
Oyedokun said that samples of the meteorite had been sent to the Department of Geology at the University of Ibadan for analysis.
“The effort is to discover the rock’s radioactive and hazard associated with the meteorite breakages. The investigation result is being expected.
“The April 19 incident revealed a solid piece of debris from an object such as a comet, asteroid or meteoroid that originate from the planetary orbit between Mars and Jupiter.
“It survived on its way through the atmosphere to reach the surface of the earth and hit villages nearby Ipapo in Itesiwaju LGA, Aba Leke, Anberee Oke, Owode and Tede in Atisbo LGA.
“The meteorite was accompanied by series of reverberating and disturbing noise on the earth’s subsurface as observed by residents of the affected localities and other parts of the state, including Ibadan, Oyo and Ibarapa,” he said.
He stated that a government team, which included Chief Isaac Ishola, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources and Alhaji Abidemi Siyanbade, Special Adviser on Community Relations, had visited the affected areas.
Oyedokun said the team’s two-day visit to the affected localities was to ascertain the level of impact and damage to the communities.
He urged residents to be calm, saying that the meteorite impact that occurred in the state did not occur in a built-up area which could have resulted in casualties.
The governor’s aide, however, said that ground impacts were made in the localities and a tree was completely burnt as meteorites are hot bodies moving at high velocity. (NAN)
TAA/MUYI/OJO
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(Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh/Mufutau Ojo)