The founder of One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji, has vowed to get the incarcerated leader of the proscribed Igbo group, Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, released if the Biafra radio and sit-at-home order are stopped.

Maharaj Ji stated this while speaking in an interview granted to his temple’s in-house radio on Wednesday.

According to him, the IPOB leader was culpable of the terrorism charges levelled against him, and anyone guilty is liable to a death sentence.

He said, “We are, however, grateful that the matter has been put on hold in the sense that, by the accusations, it is always going to be death, looking at the level of crimes attached to him, with the way and manner the constitution is written. Anybody who is accused of doing such a thing (terrorism) is sentenced to death. It is only out of grace that Kanu was able to escape.

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“So now it has to be by political settlement before he (Kanu) can be released, and it will be addressed in so many ways. For anyone advocating for his pardon, they have to take positive steps. In other words, they must not do so with empty hands; they should stop the Biafra radio wherever it is. Secondly, the sit-at-home order should be stopped, and the judgment should be accepted while the Igbo elders go behind the scenes to analyse and explain to the President.

“Today, the Igbos have been brought to the central realms of politics by Tinubu. And the Northern caliphate is not happy about it. They are not excited about the commission they were given…They should stop the propaganda that the East is about to be Islamised. When those are done, I know how to watch it out, Kanu will come out. I will help facilitate his release.“

The cleric joined the likes of Abia State governor, Alex Otti, activist Omoyele Sowore, and other South-East leaders to intensify efforts to secure the release of detained Kanu through a political arrangement, assuring residents of the region that “all hope is not lost.”

On Tuesday, Otti met Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, after visiting Kanu in the Sokoto prison facility, where the IPOB leader is serving his sentence.

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Otti’s meeting with the President is believed to be part of ongoing engagements aimed at securing the release of the detained Kanu.

Recall that Kanu bagged a life sentence instead of the death penalty after the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, handed down the sentence on counts one, two, four, five, and six.

The judge also handed Kanu a 20-year jail term on count three, with no option of fine, and a five-year jail term on count seven, with no option of fine.

Justice Omotosho delivered the judgment after convicting Kanu on all seven counts of terrorism offences.

The Senate on Wednesday moved to tighten Nigeria’s anti-kidnapping laws by pushing for the death penalty for kidnappers — and anyone who finances, enables, or provides information to them — as lawmakers debated amendments to the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

The proposal, sponsored by the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, seeks to classify kidnapping, hostage-taking, and related crimes as terrorism, giving security agencies wider powers to track, disrupt, and prosecute criminal networks across the country.

The debate dominated Wednesday’s plenary, drawing contributions from key senators including Adams Oshiomhole, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Minority Leader Abba Moro.

The session was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

After hours of deliberation, the Senate unanimously approved the amendment bill for further legislative work and referred it to the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters (lead committee), National Security and Intelligence, and Interior.

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The committees are expected to report back within two weeks.

Leading debate on the bill, Bamidele said the purpose was to “designate kidnapping, hostage-taking and related offences as acts of terrorism and prescribe the death penalty for such offences without option of fine or alternative sentence.”

He warned that kidnapping had evolved into “coordinated, commercialised and militarised acts of violence perpetrated by organised criminal groups.”

“Kidnapping has instilled widespread fear in communities; undermined national economic activities and agricultural output; interrupted children’s education; bankrupted families forced to pay ransom; overstretched our security forces, and claimed countless innocent lives,” the Senate leader lamented.

According to him, the patterns of brutality associated with kidnapping “now carry all the characteristics of terrorism,” making it necessary to treat the offence under the counter-terrorism framework.

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Bamidele added that the bill would empower security agencies with “broader operational authority, intelligence capabilities, and prosecutorial tools” to pursue terrorists and their enablers.

He stressed that the death penalty would apply not only to kidnappers but also to “their informants, logistics providers, harbourers, transporters, and anyone who knowingly assists, facilitates, or supports kidnapping operations,” adding that “attempt, conspiracy or incitement to kidnap attracts the same penalty.”

“Nigerians are kidnapped on highways, in schools, in homes, on farms and in markets,” he said. “This is not a mere crime. It is terrorism in its purest form.”

Backing the amendment, Oshiomhole criticised deradicalisation programmes for terror suspects, arguing that many offenders returned to crime.

“We should not continue with deradicalisation programmes again,” he said. “No more de-radicalisation. If you are caught and convicted for acts of terrorism, then the penalty should be death.”

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Kalu also supported the bill, insisting that informants and sponsors of kidnappers must “face the consequence.”

“Nigerians have suffered at the hands of kidnappers. Young girls have been raped. Women have become widows for no reason. This must not continue again,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Moro described the bill as “a unanimous decision of the Senate,” noting that it was necessary to impose capital punishment “with the hope that kidnappers will face the penalty.”

Senator Victor Umeh, in his contribution, condemned the rising trend of abductions and the killing of victims even after ransom payments. He said financial institutions aiding such crimes must also be scrutinised.

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Last week, the Senate took a similarly tough stance as it debated a motion following the November 18 attack on Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State, where gunmen killed two worshippers and abducted 38 others.

Although all victims were later rescued, lawmakers said the incident exposed the spread of insurgent cells into the South and worsening insecurity in rural communities.

The debate stemmed from a motion by Senator Yisa Ashiru titled ‘Urgent Need to Address Escalating Insecurity in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States and Strengthen National Security Frameworks.’

Senators also raised concerns over rising school abductions, which have led to shutdowns in parts of Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, and all 47 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.

The latest amendment effort signals a tougher legislative push as insecurity — particularly kidnapping for ransom — continues to devastate communities across the country.

The Federal Executive Council has approved the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, fixing a conservative oil price benchmark of $64.85 per barrel and a budget exchange rate of N1,512/$1 for 2026.

Briefing State House correspondents after the Council’s meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the framework, drawn with inputs from MDAs, the private sector, civil society and development partners, will be transmitted to the National Assembly on Monday, December 8, at the latest.

Bagudu said the MTEF proposed two oil production targets, split between an ambitious 2.06 million barrels per day and a lower 1.80mbpd used for budgeting.

“For the first time, a target oil production as well as benchmark oil production were adopted.

“The target oil production is 2.06 million barrels per day, which the management of the oil industry is tasked to produce.

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“However, so that we don’t run into revenue problems, we use a benchmark oil production figure of 1.8 [mbpd] for budget purposes,” Bagudu said.

On price, he added that the $64.85/bbl benchmark is deliberately below Nigeria’s typical realisations.

“Even the oil benchmark of $64.85 which is being used this year, is lower than the average selling price of Nigeria’s crude oil, because Nigeria is a premium Bonny Light producer. But for an abundance of caution, we are using $64.85,” he explained.

Bagudu noted that the 2026 macro assumptions also include a growth rate projection of 4.68 per cent and a budget exchange rate of N1,512/$1.

He noted, “Given that 2026 is a pre-election year, there is a lot of election activity spending that can typically affect the exchange rate.”

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According to the minister, gross Federation revenue is estimated at N50.74tn for 2026, to be shared as follows: Federal Government, N22.60tn; states, N16.30tn; and local governments, N11.85tn.

Consequently, total Federal Government revenue from all sources is projected at about N34.33 trillion, inclusive of N4.98 trillion remitted by government-owned enterprises.

“This figure is 16 per cent lower than that of the 2025 budget estimate,” Bagudu said.

He outlined the major spending heads which include statutory transfers of around N3tn; debt service of N15.91tn; and non-debt recurrent (personnel and pensions) of about N15.27tn.

With a projected deficit of N20.10tn, about 3.61 per cent of the estimated GDP, Bagudu said the implied federal spending envelope is roughly ₦54.43tn.

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The former Kebbi state governor said the draft also reviews 2025 budget implementation and embeds stakeholder inputs across the macro background, parameters and fiscal risks.

“Relevant inputs from stakeholders have been integrated into the framework,” he said.

Beyond the paper, he disclosed that Tinubu has secured National Economic Council buy-in for tighter policy coordination and priority spending.

“The President called for more collaboration and coordination between fiscal and monetary policies and sought the approval of the National Economic Council to invest more in security spending, in particular, the rehabilitation of training institutions of security agencies,” Bagudu said.

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He added that FEC endorsed increased “Federation vigilance to eliminate revenue loss from illegal activities in the oil and gas sectors as well as critical mineral sectors,” alongside a push for “critical minimum transformational investment for infrastructure” through the Renewed Hope infrastructure funding and measures to boost domestic production.

The minister also revealed that the memo to FEC was presented by the Director-General of the Budget Office, supported by his team and the Economic Management Team, after “technical discussions, bilateral engagement as well as expert consultations” with stakeholders to ensure the framework reflects “collective aspiration.”

The MTEF/FSP, a statutory three-year fiscal guide, sets the assumptions that will underpin the 2026 Appropriation Bill, including oil/output benchmarks, revenue profiles, deficit limits and the spending mix.