President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate to approve a ₦1.15 trillion loan to fund the 2025 budget.

The President wants to access the facility from the domestic market, according to a letter the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, read to senators on the floor in Abuja on Tuesday.

Tinubu explained that the proposed borrowing would be used to cover the deficit in the N54.99trillion budget.

He wrote, “I write to kindly request for the approval of the National Assembly to establish a N1,150,000,000.00 borrowing program in the domestic debt market to close the unfunded deficit gap created by the increase in the budget size over and above the prior approved revenue and borrowing plans.

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“This request is pursuant to the provisions of Section 44, Subsection 1 to 2 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, FRA, of 2007, which requires the approval of the National Assembly for all new borrowings by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The distinguished President of the Senate may wish to note that the National Assembly passed a budget of N54.9 trillion, an increase of N5.25 trillion from the N49.74 trillion budget proposal by the Executive.

“This increase created a budget deficit of N14 trillion.

“However, the proposed borrowing approved in the budget was N12.95 trillion, which occasioned an unfunded deficit of N1.1 trillion.

“It is therefore necessary to increase the domestic borrowing limit in the 2025 budget by N1.147 trillion to close this gap.

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“Based on the foregoing, I wish to request for the approval of the Senate for the establishment of a N1,150,000,000 Naira borrowing program in the domestic debt market to close the unfunded 2025 budget deficit gap.

“A specimen of the approval required for this purpose is attached as an extra tool.”

Akpabio referred the request to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt for more work.

The committee is chaired by Senator Aliyu Wammako (APC, Sokoto North)

Just last week, the National Assembly approved another presidential borrowing of $2.3 billion.

The Department of State Services (DSS), has confirmed that several high-profile terrorism suspects are currently facing trial across the country as part of efforts to strengthen national security and ensure accountability.

In a statement on Tuesday, the secret police disclosed that five men are being tried for their alleged involvement in the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, where over 40 worshippers lost their lives.

The agency also revealed that suspects linked to the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State, which claimed dozens of lives, are currently undergoing trial.

According to the DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the ongoing prosecutions reflect the commitment of security agencies to bringing perpetrators of terrorism to justice in line with the rule of law.

The DSS noted that the Federal High Court in Abuja will on November 19 continue the trial of two wanted terror suspects: Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba who were arrested during a high-risk operation in July.

The duo, believed to be leaders of the ANSARU terrorist group, face a 32-count charge, including terrorism financing and illegal mining. Usman has already been sentenced to 15 years for one of the offences, while Abba pleaded not guilty.

The agency also confirmed that the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, alleged mastermind of the 2011 United Nations building bombing in Abuja, is ongoing alongside four others. Al-Barnawi and his co-defendants are facing charges before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Below is the full text of the DSS statement:

On November 19, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja will continue the trial of two terrorism suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, who are wanted internationally.

Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Abba (aka Isah Adam and Mahmud Al-Nigeri) were captured in a high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation in July by the Department of State Services (DSS), after several months of chasing them.

The two are believed to be leaders of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate.

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Usman, the self-styled Emir of ANSARU, allegedly coordinated various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is also believed to have masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and robberies, the proceeds of which were used to finance terrorism over the years.

Abba, Usman’s chief of staff and deputy, is alleged to have led the so-called “Mahmudawa” cell, which operated around the Kainji National Park, located on the border between the states of Niger and Kwara, as well as the Republic of Benin.

The Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA), in a statement issued on August 16, claimed Mamuda received training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. He is said to have specialised in weapons handling and IED fabrication.

Usman and Abba are being tried on a 32-count terrorism charge, and on which they were arraigned in late August. One of the counts related to illegal mining, to which Usman pleaded guilty and has since been sentenced to 15 years. Abba pleaded not guilty to all the 32 counts.

The DSS is also prosecuting another terror suspect, Khalid Al‑Barnawi, accused of being the mastermind of the August 26, 2011, bombing of the United Nations Complex in Abuja, in which 20 people were killed and more than 70 others injured.

Captured in 2016, Al Barnawi is facing trial along with four other terror suspects – Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello aka Datti, Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu aka Bello Maishayi.

The trial has been delayed for an extended period due to legal and procedural issues, including the suspects being occasionally brought to court without any counsel appearing for them.

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The DSS recently requested the court to grant accelerated hearing in the case, a request Justice Nwite granted.

On October 23 and 24, a trial-within-trial was conducted, during which videos of the defendants’ confessional statements were played in the courtroom.

On August 11, the DSS arraigned five men before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack at St. Francs Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

The five are: Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

Over 40 people died in the attack, while over 100 individuals sustained injuries.

The five defendants were arraigned on a nine-count terrorism charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, in which they are accused among others, of being members of Al Shabab terrorist group, with cell in Kogi State.

The defendants are also alleged to have carried out the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology.

They pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them, following which Justice Nwite ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the prosecuting agency.

In a ruling on September 10 the judge rejected their request for bail on the grounds that they were not only charged with offences that capital in nature, they are also accused of being members of a notorious terrorist organisation.

Justice Nwite agreed with the prosecuting lawyer that the evidence against the defendants was strong and could not be overlooked.

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The judge said the argument by the DSS that the defendants would jump bail was not disputed by them and deemed to be true.

Also undergoing trial are the suspects arrested in connection with the Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State on June 13 2025.

The attack, in which dozens of people were killed and 107 injured, drew worldwide condemnation. President Bola Tinubu paid a condolence visit to the state and demanded the arrest of the killers and attackers.

On June 24 2025, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, announced the arrest of 26 suspects in connection with the massacre.

In August 2025, the DSS filed terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja, against nine suspects. Two suspects, Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi of Awe local government area of Nassarawa state, who are still at large, were charged with four counts of terrorism, among which is the concealment of information about the attacks, before they were staged in Abinsi and Yelwata villages between June 13th and 14th.

In total, the DSS filed six separate charges against the arrested suspects, who are now undergoing trial. They are Adamu and Abdullahi are Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Asara Ahnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba, and Pyeure Damina.

The DSS also charged two other suspects, Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede of Guma local government area of Benue State, with three counts for allegedly carrying out reprisal attack against the terror suspects involved in the Abinsi and Yelwata attacks.

Their trial, which is ongoing, before Justice Nwite’s court began with their arraignment in early September, with the defendants pleading not guilty.

Director General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, said;

“The various arrests and trials of terrorism suspects showed that Nigeria’s security agencies have been diligent in dealing with the perpetrators of terror in the country. The men we are prosecuting are separate from the hundreds of suspects under the military’s protective custody, whose cases are being handled by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. In July last year, 125 of the terrorists were convicted.

“We shall continue to make the suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our country, in consonance with the rule of law.”

Favour Dozie.

Deputy Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications

Department of State Services (DSS)

The Federal Government has said Nigeria is willing to work with the United States and other countries to wipe out remnants of terrorists and criminal elements in Nigeria.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this during a world press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

While acknowledging that Nigeria is faced with insecurity challenges, he clarified that it is not targeted at any religion or group, as peddled by faulty data.

He saud in the last two years, President Bola Tinubu has deepened his commitment to dealing with insecurity, evident in the country’s improved standing on the Global Terrorism Index and recent change of security service chiefs.

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He called on the United States and other nations to support President Tinubu in ridding the menace of criminals and terrorists making life unbearable for Nigerians.

“The Nigerian government is willing to work with other international bodies, including the United States, to ensure that criminals are permanently wiped out.

“We welcome support from international partners, including the US, to deal with its security challenges.

“President Tinubu is taking the lead to resolve all challenges with the US, including other countries.

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“Nigeria is not running away from the fact that we have a big insecurity situation.

“The government and people of Nigeria have taken note of the US stance over the alleged violation of human rights.

“President Tinubu is determined to confront and end security challenges,” he said.

Recall that last week, US President Donald Trump threatened military action in Nigeria if nothing is done about alleged killings of Christians.

This comes after Trump designated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’.