Former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu on Wednesday breathed the air of freedom from the Kuje Medium Security Prisons, Abuja and said that he harboured no ill-feelings against anyone.

Looking calm and unruffled in white traditional attire, the former governor was released at about 3pm to the warm embrace of hundreds of his supporters, who had thronged Kuje Prison as early as 7.30am in anticipation of his release. They later formed a motorcade along the busy airport road heading towards the city.

Speaking with Daily Sun, Kalu said he saw his travails as a test of faith and challenge of leadership.

Said Kalu: 'To be honest with you, I bear no hatred or malice towards anyone. What is happening has strengthened my faith in God; reaffirmed my belief in democracy and the judicial process. I believe what is happening is part of our democratic evolution and deepening of our judicial process."

Kalu also expressed gratitude to all Nigerians for their prayers, kind words and support, saying: "The solidarity has been overwhelming. What else can I say other than to thank them all. This is no time for interviews or speech making. Please, tell Nigerians I thank them all."
Kalu along with his former colleagues, Saminu Turaki (Jigawa) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau) was detained on the orders of the Federal High Court, which gave stringent conditions for their bail.

According to the court, the three former governors were to provide three sureties, who would deposit bank bond of N100 million naira each and authentication by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) of having paid tax in the past three years as and when due, in addition to provision of landed property in highbrow Asokoro and Maitama District, among other conditions.
Efforts by the former governors to secure their temporal freedom since last weekend when the bails were granted had not been successful due to the stringent conditions.

However, on Tuesday, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia, personally came to the Federal High Court to sign necessary documents that will lead to Kalu’s freedom. Onyia was in the company of Senator Uche Chukwumerije and two traditional rulers from Abia State.

The former minister told Daily Sun that he was in the court to submit all documents required of him to secure Kalu's freedom. He came to the court in has white Mercedes Benz jeep and walked straight to the court registrar's office, where he reportedly signed the relevant documents.
Even after satisfying these conditions, Kalu could not immediately step into freedom as the officials who were to sign the documents were said to have closed for the day on Tuesday evening. However, the release order from the court was eventually granted to the ex-governor early Wednesday morning.

The relevant Interior Ministry officials, particularly the Nigerian Prison Service officials, were then contacted to sign the documents. At about 2.30 p.m., the Comptroller of the Kuje Prisons, A.C.P Alhaji Usman Kabiru Funtua, perfected the necessary documentation before Kalu was released.

On hand to receive The former governor were some of his political associates, including Onyia and Senator Chukwumerije, and a host of other political stalwarts who came in their numbers.
Security had been beefed up at the prison, with stern-looking policemen and prison officials thoroughly scrutinizing visitors and keeping the majority of the people who came to the place at bay.

Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, who granted the bail, stipulated last week that the bail was in the sum of N100 million for Kalu and each of his sureties, who, in addition, were to provide bank bonds in the like sum.

The judge added that the sureties must have evidence of their Tax Payment Certificate from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for three consecutive years, which must have been paid as and when due. Besides, the former governor was to depose to a sworn affidavit stating the number of countries he obtained citizenship and to deposit all passports connected with those countries with the court.

He was also to provide two traditional rulers and to deposit his three recent passport photographs with the court.
Aside form these conditions, Kalu was directed to be reporting to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) weekly and not travel out of the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction without the permission of the court.

The judge explained, while ruling on the bail application, that the offences Kalu was said to have committed were bailable and that there was the possibility of his standing trial till the end.

According to her, "though the offence of corruption is a serious one, especially now that the country is fighting corruption, I have read section 14 (1) of the Money Laundering Act as well as the submissions of counsel to both parties, including the provisions of the constitution, in respect of bail and I came to the conclusion that bail be granted to the accused person."

What d'u Think?

The thief needs to go to jail.
Who gives a hoot if he has ill feelings. I have enough ill feelings towards him and the rest of the thiefing elite.
(nonsense, hisssss, shio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The hard feelings would have been for who now?

angel101:

The hard feelings would have been for who now?

I wonder o, like he got our permission before he started robbing us blind. God solder him yansh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suffering and smiling.

Bankole01:

I wonder o, like he got our permission before he started robbing us blind. God solder him yansh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol
i am choking with laughter

angel101:

lol
i am choking with laughter

This is not a laughing matter, immagine someone giving you a dirty slap and telling you he has no grudge and has forgiven you as if it is him who should be angry and not you.

McKren:

This is not a laughing matter, immagine someone giving you a dirty slap and telling you he has no grudge and has forgiven you as if it is him who should be angry and not you.

The slap dey pain me 2 much. Walahi I go kill am if i see dat yeye man. Make dem take all the money from him like Alams own.

Which kain stupid freedom be that? Somebody was granted bail and he's using his media to twist it into freedom.

Let us see if newspaper pages can turn bail into freedom.

Denex plz help me shout it again.Who told that common theif he is free yet?

wow! he is a free man again and i am happy about that.
EFCC is bleeped up. how can the problems of abia state superceed the problems of nigeria? why are we after orji uzor kalu while the objs, annenihs and bodes are all still recognized among us as saints and patrotic citizens.
why and how can such rich states as lagos and rivers are having their past governors as heros without anything to show for it while orji remains the only thief? it is obvious his outspokenness is the difference.
i am not here to say orji is a saint rather all i am saying is let it be for all not for a few.
we have national thieves who are our problems and they are surposed to be used as the key not state thieves.
if we are not partial or blind, why can't we see the nature of our federal roads, power supply, national ports etc.
is it not obvious that major contracts awarded by obj were not done yet the funds mearnt for them are all gone into the thin air.
who is decieving who?
we are rejoicing because orji uzo and tauraki were arreested without asking whose problem is that.
tauraki was telling the court that his state funds were spent on third term agenda and efcc said is not true so is the efcc the third treasurer or were they the third term co-ordinators.
nigerians should open their ears and eyes to the truth.
this efcc were hired by obj and today they are saying they will not probe obj.
we have heard from different departments that obj was 20, 000 rich as at 1999 and today he owns almost evberything in nigeria yet orji who have been the vivid owner of slok is the thief that nigeria has been looking for.
EFCC in the divertion attempt is taking our attentions to the shadows ( governors) while the main objects ( federal office holders) remain untouched.
tony annenih has bosted that no put is big enough to cook him in nigeria and from all indictaions, he is because he knows more than we think and a tap on his person will implicate the saints among us.
i bet you are nairalanders, non of the inner cacus members of obj administration will be touched to avoid nigerians taking to the streets from confessions. a touch on them will reveal things we cannot hold.
if there is anything nigerians would like to hear now, is the arrest of tony annenih in relation to all federal roads contracts awarded to him by obj,it is about the investigation conducted by this same efcc at nigerian ports authority as it relates to bode george.
in fact, yar adua would be a man of his own if he can disolve this efcc and form his own and then let them be independence so that nigerians will have reasons to believe them.
for me, an obj who is power thirty and is ready to do away with anyone to remain in the corridors of powers has nothing good to offer us with even with his efcc.
a revisit to the sale of refineries, a court order to return funds by some ministers and clear cases of illegal contracts by obj's administration send error signals and as deserve some level of investigation .

The man is not free. He's out on bail and we hope he doesn't bail out.

I think nigeria need some hardcore robin hoods,systematically bringing this motherfuckers to justice.It's very easy in a country like that,without a data base,freefall.

Wetin him mean with no hard feelings? Shey him think say na God give am power to rule abi. He should have been left to rot in prison.