Why Kalu is yet to be released from Kuje prison—-NCoS

Orji Uzor Kalu

Barely five days after the supreme court verdict which ordered the retrial of former Abia State Governor, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, faulting the entire judicial process which had earlier convicted him to 12 years jailterm, ROYAL NEWS gathered  the lawmaker is still in prison.

The Nigeria Correctional Service claimed that it has not released Sen. Kalu from the Kuje custodial facility because no warrant for his release from the Supreme Court has been received.

The NCoS spokesman, Chuks Njoku, said this in reaction to reports that Kalu had been released from custody where he had been held for five months.

Reports had indicated that the senator was released on Friday shortly after the Supreme Court voided his December conviction in a multi-billion naira corruption trial.

The lawmaker was said to have moved to his residence in Asokoro, Abuja after he was discharged from custody by the NCoS.

But the NCoS spokesman, Chuks Njoku, noted that the service had not received the court judgment and the warrant for Kalu’s release from the custodial centre.

He said, “We have not received any paper; the order was just made on Friday and we have to get the warrant of release from the Supreme Court. But we have no warrant to release him. The court pronouncement is not enough to release him.”

Njoku insisted that the senator would remain in custody, adding that “he would not be released until we get a warrant from the court.”