The Scope Of My Arms Business
OpenLife News reports that in an interview, a Nigerian Senator said: “Yes, I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up it’s not my business.”
Those were the words of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu — former Governor of Abia State, current Senator representing Abia North, and one of Nigeria’s most controversial billionaire politicians.
In a bombshell interview on *Arise Television on Monday*, Kalu openly disclosed that he previously traded in heavy weapons internationally, selling arms to buyers who could afford them, before abandoning the business at his parents’ insistence.
Nigeria has never heard a serving Senator speak like this before.
“Yes, I Was An Arms Dealer”
Kalu made the disclosure while discussing his longstanding relationships with former and current South African leaders.
The former Abia State governor said his business interests previously extended beyond Nigeria, adding that he dealt in heavy weapons sold from one country to another.
When asked directly by the interviewer whether he was an arms dealer, Kalu did not dodge. He did not deny. He did not say “no comment.”
He responded: “Yes, so I stopped because my…”
Then he explained why he abandoned the business.
“But my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped.”
For a man who has been governor, senator, presidential aspirant, and businessman, this was a stunning admission on live television.
“Whether They Blow Up, It’s Not My Business”
Asked whether he sold weapons to people who intended to use them to kill others, Kalu dismissed the suggestion, insisting that his interest 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.”
That one line has now set Nigeria on fire.
To his critics, it sounded cold. To his supporters, it sounded like brutal honesty about how the global arms trade works. To security experts, it raised a disturbing question: How does a Nigerian businessman become an international arms dealer — and then become a Senator?
“I Was Selling To Anybody Who Wants To Buy”
The interviewer subsequently asked whether he supplied weapons to the African National Congress during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
Kalu denied selling exclusively to the ANC, saying his customers included anyone willing to pay for the weapons.
“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…”
When asked where he sourced the weapons, the senator declined to disclose the details, responding: “It’s only my business.”
That refusal has only fuelled more questions.
Where did he get heavy weapons? Who licensed him? Which governments approved the deals? Did Nigeria know? Did the international community know?
Kalu is not saying — at least not yet.
“These Are Heavy Arms, Sold Country To Country”
The interviewer also raised concerns about the proliferation of small arms in Nigeria, questioning how Kalu’s description of his former business fitted into the country’s security challenges.
Nigeria today is battling banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and communal clashes — all fuelled by illegal arms flooding the country.
However, Kalu maintained that the weapons he dealt in were not small arms, explaining that they were heavy weapons traded between countries.
“No, no, these are heavy arms that were sold country to country.”
In other words, according to Kalu, he was not selling AK-47s to street criminals. He was involved in state-to-state, government-level deals for heavy military hardware.
That distinction matters — but it does not end the debate. Heavy weapons also kill. Heavy weapons also destabilise nations.
Did He Sell To Gaddafi?
Then came the most explosive moment.
Asked specifically whether he sold weapons to Libya under its late leader, Muammar Gaddafi, Kalu responded: *”To anybody that had money to buy.”*
When the interviewer suggested that this meant he had sold arms to Gaddafi, the senator 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.”
Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years until he was killed in 2011, was one of the most controversial leaders in African history — accused by the West of sponsoring terrorism, but celebrated by many Africans as a pan-Africanist who funded liberation movements across the continent.
Kalu’s open praise of him — “He was a good man” — and his suggestion that he would sell to anyone with money, including Gaddafi, has sparked outrage and admiration in equal measure.
The Mandela Connection: How Kalu Met South Africa’s Presidents
During the interview, Kalu also spoke about his relationships with successive South African leaders, tracing them to his friendship with the country’s former President, Nelson Mandela.
He said Mandela introduced him to several South African presidents, including Thabo Mbeki and current President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to Kalu, Mandela once explained that Mbeki’s father had contributed more to the anti-apartheid struggle than Ramaphosa’s father, a factor he said influenced the African National Congress’s decision to choose Mbeki over Ramaphosa as his running mate.
Kalu said Mbeki subsequently introduced him to former President Jacob Zuma, with the relationships continuing through successive administrations.
This is the other side of Kalu — the man who claims he was not just a businessman, but a friend of Mandela, a confidant of African presidents, a player in the liberation story of Southern Africa.
Who Is Orji Uzor Kalu?
To understand why this interview matters, you must understand who Kalu is.
Born in 1960 in Abia State, Kalu built a business empire from trading — first in the east, then across Nigeria, then internationally. He became Governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007.
He founded The Sun and New Telegraph newspapers. He founded SLOK Holding, with interests in oil, shipping, banking, and media.
He has run for president. He has been convicted and later freed by the Supreme Court over corruption charges related to his time as governor — a conviction that was quashed on technical grounds.
He is now a serving Senator, and one of the most powerful voices in the South-East.
And now, he has added a new title to his story — by his own admission — former international arms dealer.
Why Nigerians Are Asking Questions
Kalu’s admission raises 5 big questions that will not go away:
1. Was it legal?
International arms dealing is one of the most heavily regulated businesses in the world. It requires government licences, end-user certificates, and UN approvals. Did Kalu have them? He has not said.
2. Did Nigeria benefit or suffer?
If Kalu was selling heavy weapons country-to-country, was Nigeria aware? Was he acting as a private businessman or as an agent of a government?
3. What about Nigeria’s insecurity today?
Nigeria is drowning in illegal arms. Kalu says his own arms were not small arms. But Nigerians are asking: Can we separate the global arms trade from the local proliferation that is killing our people?
4. Why confess now?
Why would a serving Senator go on national television and admit to selling arms? Is it bravado? Is it honesty? Is it a warning to his enemies that he knows secrets? Or is it simply Kalu being Kalu — unfiltered?
5. Will there be an investigation?
Will the National Assembly, the security agencies, or the international community ask Kalu to explain the scope of his arms business? Or will this, like many Nigerian scandals, fade after one news cycle?
The Man Who Says What Others Hide
One thing is clear: Orji Uzor Kalu is not a typical Nigerian politician.
Most politicians hide their past. Kalu broadcasts his.
Most politicians deny. Kalu says “Yes.”
Most politicians fear controversy. Kalu seems to enjoy it.
Whether you see him as a fearless truth-teller, a reckless businessman-turned-politician, or a man who has just indicted himself on live TV, one thing is undeniable:
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has just told Nigeria the scope of his arms business — and Nigeria is still trying to process what he said.
“I was selling to anybody who wants to buy. If you have the money… I sell to you.”
That is the confession. Now, Nigeria waits for the consequences.
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