By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has attributed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and the alarming N2 trillion paid as ransom to kidnappers in 2025 to years of poor leadership and bad governance.
Duke made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while accepting the PRP’s presidential nomination certificate and flag at the party’s national headquarters, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Follow DDNewsOnline on Facebook For More Breaking News
Citing figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, Duke said the huge ransom payments reflect how criminal elements have grown more powerful than the government in some parts of the country.
“Our land has become so desolate that bandits, gangsters and kidnappers collect taxes while the government collects excuses,” he said.
“As reflected in a report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, approximately N2tn was paid as ransom to kidnappers in 2025 alone — an amount equivalent to about 10 per cent of the entire federal budget.”
Duke argued that this situation arose because successive leaders failed to do what was right at the right time.
“At the end of the day, the best politics is, and always will be, doing the right thing — not the expedient thing. And he who does not know what is right has no business leading others,” he added.
Follow And Like Us On Tiktok
The former governor pledged to pursue policies that would restore security and improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians if elected.
“We must strive for a Nigeria where farmers return safely from their fields and where every child has a desk and chair in a decent learning environment,” Duke said.
He described the PRP as a party committed to empowering ordinary Nigerians rather than political elites, vowing that “the scavengers have had their turn. Now it is the turn of the common man.”
Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com
For Breaking News And More Follow Us On Instagram
Earlier, PRP National Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, described Duke as the party’s best choice to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges.
“Under the leadership of Donald Duke, Nigeria will be safe, secure, prosperous and a nation worth respecting by its citizens and the international community,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
The comments come amid heightened public concern over the rising wave of kidnappings, banditry, and violent attacks across the country, with the United Nations and other stakeholders recently calling for urgent action.
Follow Us On Youtube
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. (Beedee)
Send tips to: adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
09164987165 / 08168555497
©️ 2026 DD NewsOnline