which lower court entered against him.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-man panel of Justices
led by Justice Amina Augie, held that the Federal High Court in Lagos
acted without jurisdiction when it convicted Kalu, his firm, Slok
Nigeria Limited and former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones
Udeogu
Kalu gave the commendation in a statement he signed which was made
available to newsmen.
“Today, the Supreme Court of Nigeria gave a judgment in my favor,
quashing the conviction which the lower court had entered against me. By
today’s judgment, the Apex court of our dear country affirmed my right
to fair hearing and equal protection of the law.
“The past five months have been quite a profound period for me. As
challenging as that period has been, it has provided me 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.
“I want to use this moment to thank my family, my colleagues, my
friends, my supporters, the people of Abia State, and all Nigerians for
their unflinching and unwavering confidence and trust in me through the
very testing period. We all know today that their prayers have not been
in vain. I also use this opportunity to express my gratitude to the
Nigerian Correctional Service for the unalloyed professionalism and
sincere humanity extended to me by its staff while I was in their
custody.
“I must accord a special mention to the Justices of our Supreme Court
for their unwavering commitment to rule of law. We all stand reminded of
the consistent and strategic relevance of the Nigerian Supreme Court in
holding this country together, even in moments of great peril. As far
back as in the 1971 case of LAKANMI V. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE
FEDERATION, (the Ademola Adetikumbo-led Court) the Nigerian Supreme
Court has severally rescued this country from the precipice.
“Also throughout the dark era of military rule in Nigeria, the Supreme
Court neither wavered nor flinched in its commitment to justice and
fairness. And despite some moments of distraction and mass hysteria, the
Nigerian Supreme Court has remained the veritable compass to the highest
ideals of justice attainable in this country. This long tradition of the
court was exemplified in today’s judgment. I was humbled by the court’s
boldness and sense of justice as shown in my case,” he said.
he stated, “Overall, my experience tested and reaffirmed my belief and
confidence in our country, Nigeria. 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 a 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.
“Before I end, I would like to let it be known that 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 at 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. A system whereby over 70% of all prison inmates population is
made up of people awaiting trial cannot be allowed to continue.
Situations where innocent people are falsely charged with murder just to
get them out of the way does not dignify our country and cannot
continue. Justice must now mean justice for all. That is my pledge to
Nigerians.
“I look forward to rejoining my colleagues in the Senate as soon as
possible,” he said.