By George Omagbemi
Former Abia State Governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has disclosed that he previously operated an international arms-trading 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 and relationships with prominent African leaders.
Asked whether he was an arms dealer, the senator answered in the affirmative, explaining that dealing in weapons was once a major part of his business outside Nigeria.
He said he eventually abandoned the trade after his parents intervened and insisted that he stop.
“My mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he stated.
During the interview, Kalu was asked whether he considered how buyers intended to use the weapons, particularly if they planned to kill people.
He responded that his primary interest was making money rather than determining what customers did with the weapons.
“I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up, it’s not my business,” he said.
The former governor also disclosed that his customers were not restricted to any particular country or political organisation.
When asked whether he supplied weapons to the African National Congress (ANC) during its struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Kalu said 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.
The senator declined to disclose where he sourced the weapons, describing the information as private business matters.
He further clarified that his transactions involved heavy military weapons traded between countries rather than small firearms.
The interviewer also asked whether he sold weapons to Libya under its late leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Kalu responded that he sold to anybody with the money to buy, but did not provide specific details confirming any particular transaction with Gaddafi.
The revelation has attracted attention amid longstanding concerns about international arms trafficking, weapons proliferation and insecurity across Africa.
However, Kalu did not disclose when he operated the business, the companies involved, the volume of weapons traded, the identities of his customers or whether the transactions were conducted under authorised international arms-trading arrangements.
Leave a Reply