Duke Pushes State Police, Opposition Unity, Says Nigeria’s Security Crisis Demands Urgent Overhaul

• Donald Duke calls for the immediate localisation of Nigeria’s security architecture, insisting that state police, stronger intelligence gathering and judicial reforms are essential to reversing the country’s worsening insecurity.

• The PRP presidential candidate links the nation’s security challenges to declining agricultural productivity, restricted movement and economic hardship, arguing that government must first guarantee citizens’ safety.

• Duke blames Nigeria’s persistent corruption on the absence of consequences for wrongdoing, while warning that vote-buying and money Politics have weakened issue-based campaigns and democratic governance.

• He urges opposition parties to put aside personal ambitions and unite against the APC ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that a divided opposition cannot effectively challenge the ruling party.

August 5, () — Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has called for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture.

He insisted that the country’s worsening insecurity can only be effectively tackled through the localisation of policing, stronger intelligence gathering, judicial reforms and greater accountability across government institutions.

The debate over the creation of state police has intensified in recent years as Nigeria grapples with persistent insecurity, including terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, kidnappings across the North-Central and South, and communal violence in several states.

While many governors, security experts and policy advocates support decentralised policing as a way to improve intelligence gathering and rapid response, opponents fear state police could be weaponised by governors against political opponents without adequate constitutional safeguards.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Duke argued that Nigeria’s highly centralised security system has failed to protect lives and property, stressing that security, like healthcare, education and other essential public services, must be driven from the grassroots to produce meaningful results.

State Police, Judiciary Hold Key To Security Reform

The former governor maintained that the introduction of state police is long overdue, describing decentralised policing as a practical solution to the growing wave of banditry, kidnappings, terrorism and violent crimes affecting several parts of the country.

“Anything that is essential has to be local. The same thing with security—you’ve got to localise it,” Duke said, adding that while the military should continue expanding its operational capacity, state policing remains indispensable for effective crime prevention.

Addressing concerns that governors could misuse state police for political purposes, Duke argued that a strong, independent and efficient judiciary would serve as the necessary safeguard against abuse.

“You can’t do one without the other,” he said, insisting that judicial reforms must accompany any constitutional amendment establishing state police.

Duke also linked the country’s deepening insecurity to declining agricultural productivity, noting that farmers across many rural communities have been displaced by criminal activities, thereby worsening food insecurity and inflation.

According to him, the foremost responsibility of any government is to guarantee a safe environment where citizens can live, work, invest and travel freely without fear.

Lamenting the deteriorating security situation, he observed that Nigerians now avoid long-distance road travel because of the fear of kidnappings and attacks by criminal gangs.

“Nigeria is not getting better; Nigeria is getting worse. We’ve got to be honest with ourselves,” he stated.

Beyond security, the PRP presidential candidate blamed the persistence of corruption on the absence of consequences for misconduct, arguing that impunity has become deeply entrenched in public administration.

He maintained that enforcing accountability at every level of governance would significantly reduce corruption and improve public confidence in government institutions.

Duke Seeks Opposition Coalition To Challenge APC

Turning to the country’s electoral process, Duke lamented what he described as the growing influence of money Politics, saying elections have increasingly become contests of financial strength rather than ideas and competence.

According to him, widespread vote-buying and patronage Politics have weakened democratic values and made it difficult for candidates with credible programmes to compete fairly.

He further acknowledged the enormous challenge facing third-force candidates but insisted that abandoning the race would amount to surrendering hope for national renewal.

Drawing inspiration from the late American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Duke said meaningful change requires persistence despite daunting odds.

On opposition Politics, he urged political parties outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to set aside personal ambitions and unite behind a common objective of providing Nigerians with a credible alternative.

He blamed repeated electoral defeats of the opposition on internal divisions and competing personal interests, warning that another fragmented contest could hand the ruling party another easy victory.

“The problem with the opposition is huge egos… our common objective is unseating the APC. You’re not going to do it with a fractured opposition,” he said.

Responding to questions about the legal challenge against his emergence as the PRP presidential candidate, Duke dismissed the case as lacking merit, expressing confidence that it would not derail his presidential ambition.

He said both the party leadership and previous court decisions affirm his membership of the PRP, describing the litigation as a needless distraction.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, Duke attributed many of the country’s governance failures to selfish leadership and the pursuit of personal interests above national development.

He urged Nigerians to assess presidential candidates based on their competence, integrity and records of public service rather than campaign rhetoric.

Citing his tenure as governor of Cross River State, Duke argued that leadership should be judged by measurable achievements and the proven ability to deliver results.