Orji Kalu, the senate chief whip, returned to his Abuja home on Friday, May 8, 2020, from jail with what he called ‘invaluable lessons’.
He was released from the Kuje Prison moments after the Supreme Court annulled his conviction five months ago by a Federal High Court for corruption.
The apex court said Justice Mohammed Idris, who convicted Kalu and others, had been elevated to the Court of Appeal before the judgment and returned to the lower court to deliver the judgment, which it considered as illegal.
A retrial was subsequently ordered.
Reacting to the Supreme Court verdict, Kalu in a statement said his incarceration provided him an opportunity to “learn invaluable lessons about our country, our peoples, our justice system, and the true meaning of love. I mean love for family, love for our country, and love for humanity.”
His experience, according to him, “tested and reaffirmed my belief and confidence in our country, Nigeria.”
He added: “My case is a true Nigerian story with a bold MADE-IN-NIGERIA stamp on it. It is a story of initial injustice that was caught and ultimately corrected. It is a story of restoration.
“It is a story of how wrong was righted and how justice and truth prevailed in the end. It is a story of the power of hope. My case should teach us all that even though we may not get things right at the first attempt, with patience and dedication, we shall get them right eventually.
“That is the lesson of my case and that is the lesson of our country – that with dedication and patience, we shall place Nigeria in its rightful place eventually.
“The events of the past five months gave me an added perspective on matters of justice and injustice in Nigeria. I have come to know that the course of justice will not be complete if it stopped in my case. It must continue until it touches the lives of millions of Nigerians who face injustice anywhere in this world.
“I shall be dedicating my time henceforth to ensuring there will be justice for all Nigerians whether they are in Sokoto or Akwa Ibom or in Lagos or Maiduguri or in Jos or Enugu, or wherever they may be. Justice for one man or for a few people will no longer be enough in this country.”
