A powerful earthquake that shook Morocco killed more than 600 people, officials said Saturday, sending terrified residents fleeing their homes in the middle of the night. The 6.8-magnitude quake struck a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT) Friday, the US Geological Survey reported. Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira. A man walks with his belongings through the rubble in an alleyway in the earthquake-damaged old city in Marrakesh on September 9, 2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) Moroccan media reported it was the most powerful quake to ever hit the country. “We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,” Abdelhak El Amrani, 33, told AFP by telephone from Marrakesh. I could see buildings moving,” said Amrani who went outside, joining many other people, “all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught.” “The power went out for 10 minutes, and so did the (telephone) network, but then it came back on,” he added. “Everyone decided to stay outside.” Updated interior ministry figures on Saturday showed the quake killed 632 people, more than half of them in Al-Haouz and Taroudant provinces. The ministry also recorded deaths in Ouarzazate, Chichaoua, Azilal and Youssoufia provinces, as well as in Marrakesh, Agadir, and the Casablanca area. Another 329 people were injured, including 51 in a critical condition, the ministry said. ‘Unbearable’ screams Faisal Baddour, an engineer, said he felt the earthquake three times in his building. “There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,” he said. “It was as if a train was passing close to our houses.” Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakesh’s old town, told AFP that he was in bed when the quake struck. “I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness,” he said. Bizet shared video of piles of rubble from collapsed walls in the streets. Other footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna square in the historic city. An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground. Houda Outassaf, a local resident, told AFP he was walking around the square when the ground began to shake. “It was a truly staggering sensation. We’re safe and sound, but I’m still in shock,” he said. “I have at least 10 members of my family who died… I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago.” Fayssal Badour, another Marrakesh resident, told AFP the earthquake hit while he was driving. “I stopped and realised what a disaster it was… The screaming and crying was unbearable,” he said. The interior ministry said authorities have “mobilised all the necessary resources to intervene and help the affected areas”. The regional blood transfusion centre in Marrakesh called on residents to donate blood for those injured. In the town of Al-Haouz, near the quake’s epicentre, a family was trapped in the rubble after their house collapsed, local media reported. Significant damage likely “We heard screams at the time of the tremor,” a resident of Essaouira, 200 kilometres west of Marrakesh, told AFP. “People are in the squares, in the cafes, preferring to sleep outside. Pieces of facades have fallen.” The USGS PAGER system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, issued a “red alert” for economic losses, saying extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response, according to the US government agency. Internet connectivity was disrupted in Marrakesh due to power cuts, according to global internet monitor NetBlocks. European leaders offered condolences, as did Russian President Vladimir Putin and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, along with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel which established diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2020, ordered “any necessary assistance.” The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Algeria, where the Algerian Civil Defence said it had not caused any damage or casualties. In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit Al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco, and in 1960 a magnitude 6.7 quake in Agadir killed more than 12,000. The 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighbouring Algeria in 1980 killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless. AFP

  Saturday 09, September 2023 Atiku, Obi get Certified True Copy, prepare appeal Ex-RCCG pastor installed as Soun, begins seven-day rites How I bought hotel where I once worked as labourer – Oniba of Iba We’ll prevent Nigerians from sliding into poverty – FG PDP faults Umahi over planned concrete for federal roads Female students’ unending battle with randy lecturers Ex-RCCG pastor installed as Soun, begins seven-day rites Bandits Set Catholic Seminarian Ablaze In Fresh Kaduna Church Attack Banditry: FG To Construct 7,000 Houses In Kaduna, Others Kano Govt Approves N3.57b To Fund Foreign Scholarship For 550 Students ‘I’ll Be Alive To Complete My Tenure’: Akeredolu Resumes Duty After Medical Leave Transformer Vandal Electrocuted In Niger State Banditry: Zamfara Govt Directs Security Personnel To Man Highways, Flashpoints INEC’s Failure To E-Transmit Results Has Broken Nigerians’ Trust – Laolu Akande Tribunal Sacks APC’s Udende, Returns Suswam As Benue North-East Senator Police Launch Manhunt For Killers Of Catholic Seminarian In Kaduna Agip Staff Protest Acquisition Of Company By Oando In Port Harcourt NLC draws battle line over Wike’s demolition plan in Abuja Tinubu: I’ll ensure well-resourced, fit-for-purpose military Panic As Aircraft Overshoots Runway At Lagos Airport A United Nigeria Airlines aircraft on Friday night overshot runway at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos causing panic among passengers. The incident happened at… London-Bound Nigerian Passenger Dies Aboard Egypt Air Flight, Corpse ‘Dumped In Cairo’ Cultists Behead DPO In Rivers Decades After Creation: NDE fails to rescue nation from mass unemployment Rivers: Man allegedly kills father over money for drug Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has okayed a fresh suit seeking to restrain the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Ms. Hannatu Musa Musawa, from serving as a member of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. The Originating Summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1230/2023, is seeking to not only declare the seat of the Minister as vacant, but to equally bar her from receiving salaries, emoluments and other perks attached to the office. The Incorporated Trustees of African Leadership & Transparency Development Initiative, which initiated the legal action before the court, maintained that Musawa, being a serving National Youth Corps member, is not legally qualified to be appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.   According to the plaintiff, the swearing in of the 1st defendant, Musawa, as a Minister, despite being a public officer by virtue of the fact that she is still a serving member of the National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, was in grave breach of Section 66 (1) (f); 147(5) and 1 (1&2) of the 1999 constitution, as amended. The plaintiff told the court that whereas section 147(5) of the Constitution stipulated that no person should be appointed as a Minister of the Government of the Federation, unless he is qualified for election as a member of the House of Representatives. It added that Section 66 (1) (f) of the Constitution expressly provided that no person should be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives, if such person is employed in the public service of the Federation or of any State and has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from such employment 30 days before the date of election. The plaintiff told the court that the 1st defendant, who is a public officer by virtue of being a current member of the NYSC, was sworn into office as a Minister on August 21, 2023. It is praying the court to determine: “Whether upon an intimate reading and comprehensive understanding of Sections 1 (1& 2), 66 (1) (f), 147(5) and 315(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the 1st Defendant is qualified to be sworn in and employed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at a time when she is a serving member of the National Youth Service Corp?” Upon determination of the sole legal question, the organization wants the court to among other things, declare that, “upon an intimate reading and comprehensive understanding of Sections 1 (1& 2), 66 (1) (f), 147(5) and 315(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the 1st Defendant is not qualified to be employed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at a time when she was a serving member of the National Youth Service Corp. “A declaration of this Honourable Court that, upon an intimate reading and comprehensive understanding of Sections 1 (1& 2), 66 (1) (f), 147(5) and 315(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the 2nd Defendant herein, is without constitutional vires to employ the 1st Defendant, who is a serving member of the National Youth Service Corp, as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “A declaration of this Honourable Court that, the employment of the 1st Defendant as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as represented by the 2nd Defendant herein, is unconstitutional, null and void and of no legal effect whatsoever regard being had to the combined provisions of Sections 1 (1& 2), 66 (1) (f), 147(5) and 315(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “An order of this Honourable Court setting aside the employment of the 1st Defendant as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as represented by the 2nd Defendant herein, same being a nullity. “An order of this Honourable Court declaring vacant the seat and office of the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy in as much as it is being occupied by the 1st Defendant herein, Ms. Hannatu Musawa. “An order of this Honourable Court restraining the 1st Defendant, Ms. Hannatu Musawa, forthwith, from parading herself, acting, holding out herself as the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy or exercising the powers and functions of the office of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or drawing salaries, emoluments and perks attached to the said office. “An order of this Honourable Court directing the 1st Defendant to, forthwith, refund all the illegal salaries, emoluments and benefits she has so far received since the date she assumed office as the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy until the date of delivery of judgment. As well as, “An order of this Honourable Court mandating the 2nd Defendant [the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation] to ensure total compliance, forthwith, by all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria who shall forthwith cease recognizing the 1st Defendant as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or according her any privilege due to the occupant of such office.” Aside from Ms. Musawa, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was cited as the 2nd defendant in the suit. Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.

  The police in Edo State have arrested a 21-year-old man, Salami Anedu, for allegedly killing his wife following a misunderstanding over food. Daily Trust reports that the suspect was paraded alongside other suspects arrested for allegedly involving in various crimes in the state. The command’s spokesperson, SP Chidi Nwanbuzor, said the suspect was arrested on August 30, by the Fugar division of the state police command. He said one Aluaye Momoh on August 29, reported to the police that one Salami Anedu, 21, used a stick to kill his wife, Esther Friday, 21, in their house at Ugbekpe Community, Edo State, over a misunderstanding on family issues. The spokesperson said the suspect hit his wife with a wood during the misunderstanding and she died in the process. He said the police stormed the scene and arrested the suspect while the corpse was taken to Fugar General Hospital mortuary. He said the case had been transferred to the homicide section of the state criminal investigation department, Benin, for discreet investigation. In an interview with journalists, the suspect said he had a quarrel with his wife for not giving him food after cooking. He said, “She cook rice and she said I should eat from the food. I went to cook yam and egg on my own, she said I can’t eat the food. As I was eating the food, she started quarrelling with me and threatened to bring his brother to my house and beat me up. She left. “I thought she was joking but she came back with two of her brothers who were armed with sticks and they started fighting me. After the fight, my wife went to my mother’s house to pass the night but I was surprised when vigilante came to arrest me that I killed my wife. “I didn’t killed my wife. I didn’t hit her with wood. It was her brother that came to my house with wood but because I dragged with them, they said I was the one that killed her. My wife was sick before.”

  Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, of Ondo State, has resumed work officially after a month’s medical vacation abroad. Akeredolu who thanked Nigerians for their ceaseless prayers for his recovery assured them that he will be alive to complete for his full tenure in office. The Speaker of the state House of Assembly,Rt Hon. Olamide Oladiji, confirmed the resumption of the governor for duty office in Akure, the state capital. Oladiji said that the governor has forwarded a letter of his resumption from medical vacation to the assembly. He noted that the governor’s action is in line with Section 190(1)of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). ” The letter which was received today during the Parliamentary meeting of the House, the governor resumed duty today, Friday, 8th September,2023. Oladiji who expressed appreciation to God for bringing the Governor back home hail and hearty, said the entire people of Ondo State are glad to see him back in office. Recall that in the Governor’s letter of 4th June,2023, he informed the assembly of proceeding on medical leave and later extended it on 4th July,2023. Related News Meanwhile, the governor, held a stakeholders meeting with members of his state executive council, party chieftains and members of the state House of Assembly. At the meeting held at his lbadan, Oyo state residence, the governor, formally handed over his resumption letter to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide, and also provided a copy to the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was in attendance. The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, quoted the governor to have said that ”I came back yesterday, and as you know, it was a long journey. I decided that I must meet with you today. God has answered our prayers, and we give Him all the glory.” “I can assure you that our return is to the glory of God and the prayers of all of you here, and those who wished us well, I thank you very much. “God has done what the majority of our people wanted. The majority of our people here knelt down and prayed for our return, and we have returned. “So, because we had to land here in Ibadan first, I said I have to meet with House of Assembly members here. We are here, and we are back. I am back, and by the grace of God, I will be alive to complete for my full tenure in office. “I want to tell you that I am back, and I will resume work immediately. This is my letter of resumption.” The Speaker, speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, expressed gratitude for the safe return of the Governor, stating that the Governor’s return to the country is a prayer answered. Governor Akeredolu, while meeting with members of the State Executive Council, informed them that he had presented his letter of resumption to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. He thanked the Executive Council members for their prayers and the good work they had carried out while he was away on medical vacation. ”We are now back, and we give God all the glory. I have to let members of the House of Assembly know first that we have returned. “As of today, I’m back as Governor of Ondo State. We thank God that I am alive and here. It’s your prayers that have kept us here. The office of the governor has resumed full work.” The governor thanked the people of the State for their ceaseless prayers and support during his recovery process. Akeredolu also held meetings with members of the National Assembly, including Senator representing Ondo North, Senator Jide Ipinsagba; Members of the House of Representatives representing Owo/Ose, Hon. Timehin Adelegbe; Ilaje/Ese-Odo, Hon. Donald Ojogo, Idanre/Ifedore, Hon. Festus Akingbaso; Okitipupa/Irele, Hon. Jimi Odimayo and Akoko South West/South East, Hon. Gboyega Adefarati. The wife of the Governor, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, also joined the governor to receive the FOWOSO members. Stakeholders present at the meeting included members of the State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oladiji Olamide; Members of the State Executive Council, led by the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; National Assembly members; led by Senator Jide Ipinsagba; and Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Working Committee, led by the Chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin. Others include Youth groups, led by the Ondo APC Youth Leader, Comrade Olawande Ayo Wisdom; Former Local Government Chairmen, led by Hon. Augustine Ogbesetore; and members of the Foundation of Wives of Ondo State Officials (FOWOSO).

  A middle age boy whose name was simply given as Ikechi has killed his father with a pestle at Rumuaghaolu in Obio Akpor local government area of Rivers State. It was gathered that the suspect had requested for an undisclosed amount of money from the father and became infuriated when the deceased refused to give the money to him. An eye witness said that the enraged boy who was said not to be happy over the deceased refusal to give him the money got hold of a pestle and smashed the father’s head with it and was reported dead on the spot. “He was so enraged over the deceased refusal to give him money which he requested yesterday at Road 9, Rumuagholu, Port Harcourt. The boy was suspected to be on drugs. He was asking his dad for money and the man refused to give him yesterday. He carried pestle and hit him”- the eyewitness said. When contacted Rivers State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko confirmed the story, adding that the suspect has been arrested by the police and is under detention for proper investigation.

  The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu has nullified the election of the Labour Party’s candidate, Professor Sunday Nnamchi as the House of Representatives member for the Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency in Enugu State. Delivering judgement in the petition filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Cornelius Nnaji, the three-man panel of justices led by A. M. Abubakar, declared the petitioner as the duly elected candidate of the election conducted on February 25, 2023. Prince Nnaji, a one-term federal lawmaker, had challenged the declaration of Nnamchi by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the winner of the election, noting that the respondent was not duly sponsored and qualified to contest under the candidacy of the Labour Party. n its unanimous decision, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner that the candidate of the Labour Party was not qualified to contest the election. Details later…

  The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal has sacked Senator Emmanuel Udende of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State. The tribunal declared the one-time governor of the state, Senator Gabriel Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party, the winner of the senatorial election held on February 25, 2023. Udende represents Benue North East Senatorial District in the red chamber. The chairman of the panel, Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha, and two justices entered judgment in favour of Suswam and PDP. According to the judgment, Suswam and PDP fulfilled the requirement of the law in proving their case of irregularities such as mutilation, non-signing of documents, and non-inclusion of lawful votes among others. One of the three members of the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, however, held that evidence by PDP’s Gabriel Suswam was grossly insufficient to sustain his petition. He, therefore, dismissed the petition and awarded the cost of N100,000 in favour of each of the respondents against the petitioners. Suswam and PDP’s petition was based on the argument that Udende did not score the majority of the lawful votes cast at the February 25 2023, Benue North East Senatorial District election. According to the decision of the dissenting judgment, irregularities can’t be assumed. The judge affirmed that the law is that the proper person to give an account of the irregularities are polling unit agents, noting that ward agents are not allowed to “give a global account” of what happened at polling units. He said, “It is the decision of the court that Suswam’s PW9’s statement on oath was not front-loaded alongside the petition and cannot form part of the petition. “The fact that documents are admitted in evidence from the Bar does not mean that value is attached to them without putting life in them.” Justice Mohammed concluded that having failed to do the needful, he cannot be moved by the petitioners to interrogate or address the petitions page by page after failing to breathe life into the documents tendered. Evidence of 19 witnesses who were not party to the malpractices said to have occurred over 400 polling units cannot substantiate the petition. No magic can be done. Evidence is grossly insufficient to sustain the petition. See no merit in the petition.

  An unidentified man was electrocuted while trying to steal transformer cables in the early hours of Friday inside the premises of Niger State Printing Press in Minna. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the corpse of the man was found by some staff of the printing press hanging on the transformer on Friday morning. Head of Legal Unit of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Aminu Ubandoma, confirmed the incident to newsmen. He said the company had been recieving several reports of transformers vandalism. He disclosed that the company was working with security agencies, especially with the police, to ensure the rate of transformer vandalism was reduced to the barest minimum. Also confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Niger Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said at about 11:00 a.m. on Friday, an incident of suspected electrocution/vandalism was reported. He said the incident occurred around old secretariat area at the printing press premises where a body of a male adult, yet to be identified, was found at a transformer with cable cutter and some vandalised cables. He was suspected to have been electrocuted. Abiodun said the body was taken to General Hospital Minna by Morris patrol team and was confirmed dead in the hospital. He noted that effort was ongoing to locate the relative of the deceased as the incident was under investigation in collaboration with AEDC.

  A young Nigerian lady (name withheld) has died aboard Egypt Air flight en route to London, United Kingdom. The lady was said to have left Nigeria for London onboard Egypt Air MS 876 flight to Cairo on Monday through the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, but died on board. A family source who confirmed the incident however said the corpse was dropped in Cairo, the Egypt Capital by the airline. The family said the Airline didn’t inform them, but rather they got a message from the consular office in Cairo informing them of her death on board the flight. Please they need to know what exactly happened and how to get her corpse back to Nigeria,” a source close to the family said. Our correspondent learnt that the lady was going to London on a student visa and boarded Egypt Air on connecting flight to London. She was to connect to London via Egypt Air MS777 the following day. There was no immediate response from Egypt Air as of press time as a source close to the airline said they were still awaiting information from Cairo on the incident. (DailyTrust)