I sold arms to anyone who had money, including Gaddafi – Kalu

The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has revealed that he previously traded in heavy weapons internationally, selling to buyers in different countries, including Libya under its late leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

Kalu made the disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, saying he abandoned the business after his parents insisted that he quit.

The former Abia State governor said his arms business involved the sale of heavy weapons from one country to another, adding that his priority at the time was making money.

When asked whether he was an arms dealer, Kalu responded in the affirmative but explained that he later left the business.

“But my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he said.

Asked whether he sold weapons to people who intended to use them to kill others, the senator dismissed the suggestion, insisting that his concern was making money.

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up it’s not my business,” he said.

Kalu also denied supplying weapons exclusively to the African National Congress (ANC) during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, saying he sold to anyone who could afford them.

“No, I was selling to anybody who wants to buy. If you have the money, you want to buy in D.R.C, I sell to you, you want to buy in Namibia, you want to buy…” he said.

When asked about his sources of weapons, Kalu declined to provide details, saying, “It’s only my business.”

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The interviewer also questioned how his former arms dealings related to Nigeria’s current security challenges and the proliferation of small weapons.

However, Kalu maintained that he dealt in heavy weapons traded between countries rather than small arms.

“No, no, these are heavy arms that were sold country to country,” he said.

Asked specifically whether he sold weapons to Libya under Gaddafi, the senator said he sold to anyone with the money to buy.

“To anybody that had money to buy,” he responded.

When the interviewer suggested that this meant he had sold weapons to Gaddafi, Kalu replied, “May his soul rest in peace. He was a good man. If you have money to buy, when I was selling, I would sell to you.”

During the interview, Kalu also discussed his relationships with former and current South African leaders, tracing them to his friendship with the country’s late President, Nelson Mandela.

He said Mandela introduced him to several South African leaders, including former President Thabo Mbeki and current President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to Kalu, Mandela once told him that Mbeki’s father had contributed more to the anti-apartheid struggle than Ramaphosa’s father, a factor he said influenced the ANC’s decision to choose Mbeki over Ramaphosa as his running mate.

Kalu added that Mbeki later introduced him to former President Jacob Zuma, maintaining that his relationships with South African leaders continued across successive administrations.