Spiritual leader and founder of the One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji, has declared that he can help secure the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu — but only if the Biafra radio broadcasts and the sit-at-home directives are brought to a complete halt.
Speaking during an interview on his temple’s in-house radio on Wednesday, Maharaj Ji said the path to Kanu’s freedom now lies in political negotiation, not agitation. He maintained that Kanu was found guilty of terrorism charges which ordinarily carry a death sentence under Nigerian law.
According to him, Kanu escaped the maximum penalty “only by grace,” and any realistic push for his release must come with responsibility from those advocating on his behalf.
He said:
“Anybody accused of terrorism is sentenced to death. It is only out of grace that Kanu escaped. So now, it has to be through political settlement. Those advocating for his pardon must take positive steps — stop the Biafra radio wherever it is, stop the sit-at-home order, and accept the judgment while Igbo elders go behind the scenes to explain to the President.”
Maharaj Ji added that President Bola Tinubu has given the South-East a stronger political presence, a move he claimed has unsettled some northern power blocs. He urged Igbo groups to end narratives suggesting the region is about to be Islamised, insisting such claims only worsen tensions.
“When those things are done,” he promised, “I know how to work it out. Kanu will come out. I will help facilitate his release.”
The spiritual leader joins several prominent voices — including Abia State Governor Alex Otti and activist Omoyele Sowore — who are pushing for a political solution to the prolonged detention of the IPOB leader.
Just this week, Governor Otti visited Kanu in prison in Sokoto before meeting President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. The visit is believed to be part of ongoing back-channel efforts to secure Kanu’s freedom.
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after Justice James Omotosho convicted him on seven counts of terrorism. The court handed him life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five, and six; 20 years on count three; and five years on count seven — all without the option of a fine.
As political, religious, and regional leaders continue making moves behind the scenes, many in the South-East are holding onto Maharaj Ji’s assurance that “all hope is not lost.”