Former Abia State Governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has revealed that he previously operated an international arms business, selling weapons to buyers across different countries based on their ability to pay.
Kalu made the revelation during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, November 9, 2026, while discussing his business activities outside Nigeria and his relationships with former and current South African leaders.
The senator confirmed that he was once involved in arms dealing but disclosed that he eventually abandoned the business following pressure from his parents.
When asked directly whether he had been an arms dealer, Kalu answered in the affirmative, explaining that his parents had insisted that he discontinue the business.
He said his mother and father approached him and asked him to stop trading in weapons, a request he eventually honoured.
During the interview, the former governor was also questioned about whether he considered how buyers intended to use the weapons, particularly the possibility that they could be used to kill people.
In response, Kalu maintained that his primary motivation at the time was making money, adding that what purchasers did with the weapons was not his concern.
He said: “I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up, it’s not my business.”
The conversation also touched on the possibility that he supplied weapons to the African National Congress (ANC) during its struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
However, Kalu explained that his business was not restricted to the liberation movement, insisting that he sold to any buyer who had the financial means to purchase the weapons.
According to him, customers could come from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Namibia.
When asked about the source of the weapons he traded, the senator declined to provide further information, describing it as a private business matter.
The interviewer subsequently raised concerns about the proliferation of firearms and their implications for Nigeria’s security challenges.
Kalu, however, clarified that the weapons involved in his former business were not ordinary small firearms but heavy military equipment traded between countries.
He said the transactions involved heavy weapons sold from one country to another.
The senator was also asked whether he had supplied weapons to Libya during the leadership of its late former ruler, Muammar Gaddafi.
Although he did not explicitly confirm any particular transaction with Gaddafi, Kalu reiterated that he was willing to sell weapons to anyone who could afford them during the period he operated the business.
When the interviewer suggested that this meant he could have supplied the former Libyan leader, Kalu described Gaddafi as a good man and maintained his earlier position.
KALU SPEAKS ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERS
Beyond his former involvement in the arms trade, Kalu also discussed his longstanding relationships with prominent South African political figures.
He traced the relationships to his friendship with the country’s late former President, Nelson Mandela, whom he said introduced him to several influential political leaders.
Among those he mentioned were former South African Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, as well as the country’s current President, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Kalu recalled that Mandela once explained the historical contributions of the families of Mbeki and Ramaphosa to the anti-apartheid struggle.
According to the senator, Mandela said Mbeki’s father had contributed more to the struggle than Ramaphosa’s father, a consideration he said influenced the African National Congress’s decision to choose Mbeki over Ramaphosa as Mandela’s running mate.
Kalu added that his relationships with South African political leaders continued through successive administrations.
