Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has sensationally admitted that he was once an international arms dealer, selling heavy weapons to anybody who could afford them, including buyers in Libya under its late leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Kalu made the startling revelation during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, while discussing his relationship with former and current South African leaders.
The former Abia State governor confirmed that he traded in heavy weapons across different countries before quitting the business following pressure from his parents.
When the interviewer asked if he was an arms dealer, Kalu answered in the affirmative, explaining that his parents eventually prevailed on him to abandon the trade.
He said his mother and father personally asked him to stop, and he complied.
However, when asked whether he was concerned that the weapons he sold could be used to kill people, the senator dismissed the suggestion, insisting that his primary interest was making money.
He explained that he sold weapons to whoever was willing and able to pay, regardless of the country or the intended buyer.
Asked whether he supplied arms to the African National Congress (ANC) during its struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Kalu said he was not an exclusive supplier to the liberation movement.
He maintained that his customers came from different countries, mentioning the Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia as examples of places where he sold weapons.
When pressed on where he sourced the weapons, Kalu declined to reveal his business connections, describing the information as private.
The interviewer also questioned him about Nigeria’s security challenges and the proliferation of illegal firearms, but Kalu insisted that the weapons he traded were not small arms.
According to him, they were heavy weapons sold from one country to another.
Asked specifically if he sold weapons to Libya under Gaddafi, Kalu replied that he sold to anybody with the money to buy.
When the interviewer suggested that this meant he had done business with the late Libyan leader, Kalu responded by paying tribute to Gaddafi, saying, “May his soul rest in peace. He was a good man.”
The senator’s revelation came as he recounted his long-standing connections with successive South African presidents, which he traced to his friendship with the country’s anti-apartheid icon and former president, Nelson Mandela.
Kalu said Mandela introduced him to several South African leaders, including former President Thabo Mbeki and incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He also recalled Mandela explaining that Mbeki’s father had contributed more to the anti-apartheid struggle than Ramaphosa’s father.
According to Kalu, this was among the considerations behind the ANC’s decision to choose Mbeki over Ramaphosa as Mandela’s running mate.
Kalu added that Mbeki later introduced him to former President Jacob Zuma, with his relationships with South African political leaders continuing across successive administrations.
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