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2027 Election: Nigerians Demand Probe After Donald Duke’s Human Sacrifice Claim
Former Cross River governor Donald Duke has alleged that some Nigerian politicians use human sacrifice to pursue political power, sparking calls for investigation.
Former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has triggered widespread concern after alleging that some Nigerian politicians resort to human sacrifice in their quest for political power.
Duke made the claim during an interview on Arise News Television’s Morning Show, where he warned that Nigeria’s political system was increasingly becoming a do-or-die contest.
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According to the former governor, the desperation to acquire political power has pushed some politicians towards practices that threaten both democratic values and human life.
Duke said: “The fundamentals of our democracy are being lost on us because it is becoming literally a do-or-die affair and that’s because we have turned politics into an occupation rather than a vocation. A large number of people today have no business being in politics.”
He further alleged that, while he was governor of Cross River State, authorities discovered body parts and skulls at the residence of a local government chairman.
Duke said: “While I was governor, a case was brought up where we found body parts, skulls, all sorts of things in the house of a local government chairman because he had to do some sacrifice. Now, this happens multiple times across the country. These are things we know but we never say.”
The allegation has generated reactions from political figures, academics, traditional and community leaders, activists and other concerned Nigerians.
Many of those who reacted warned that the claim should be investigated, particularly as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general election and continues to grapple with electoral violence.
Ojo: Allegations must not be dismissed
Prof. Gbade Ojo, a Political Scientist at the University of Ilorin and former Chief of Staff to late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, said the allegation was too serious to be treated as mere political rhetoric.
He said: “The allegation that some politicians resort to human sacrifice in their desperation to win elections is extremely disturbing and should not be dismissed as mere political rhetoric.”
Ojo said persistent allegations of ritual killings linked to political ambitions point to a dangerous combination of desperation, criminality and superstition.
“Elections are fundamentally about winning the confidence of the people, not eliminating opponents or seeking supernatural assistance through human sacrifice,” he said.
He urged security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance and investigations ahead of 2027, while ensuring that anyone found guilty of sponsoring or participating in ritual killings faces the law regardless of political status.
Adewale: Duke should provide evidence
Former Ondo State SDP chairman, Hon. Stephen Adewale, said Duke’s allegation should be investigated and supported with credible evidence.
He said: “Donald Duke’s allegation is deeply troubling and should be investigated rather than dismissed as political rhetoric. If he possesses credible evidence that politicians have engaged in human sacrifice, he should present it to the appropriate security agencies because human sacrifice is murder, regardless of the political, cultural or spiritual language used to disguise it.”
Adewale argued that Nigeria’s winner-takes-all political system, weak institutions and culture of impunity could encourage desperate politicians to pursue power at any cost.
He also called for thorough investigations into politically connected deaths and prosecution of those responsible.
Owie: ‘I have never seen it myself’
Former Senate Chief Whip and NDC chieftain, Sir Rowland Owie, said he had heard reports of political rituals but had never personally witnessed anyone engaging in them.
“I hear about it, but I have never seen it myself, neither here in Edo nor back in the old Midwest,” Owie said.
He nevertheless expressed the belief that anyone who engages in such practices to obtain political office would eventually suffer the consequences.
According to him, the secrecy surrounding ritual practices makes them difficult to combat.
“Only a person’s conscience can truly prevent them. If caught, they will deny everything. That is why the electorate must be bold enough to expose them. Once exposed, they will be forced to stop,” he said.
Ambakederimo: Those involved must face the law
Joseph Ambakederimo, convener of the South South Reawakening Group, described the alleged practice as reprehensible and called for legal action against anyone found involved.
He said: “How anyone could believe in, let alone engage in such a fetish act in today’s world is difficult to imagine.”
Ambakederimo added that if the allegation is established, those responsible should be dealt with firmly within the law.
Prof Okaba: No election is worth a human life
Prof. Okaba, a university don and immediate past President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), linked the alleged resort to human sacrifice with the winner-takes-all nature of Nigerian politics.
He said: “The specter of Nigerian politicians turning to human sacrifice for electoral victory exposes a profound moral collapse, where a do-or-die mentality and winner-takes-all system devalue human life and make ritual violence a tempting shortcut to power.”
He called for swift prosecution, stronger voter education, greater scrutiny of political financing and increased efforts by religious leaders and the media to condemn occult practices.
Ebiowei: Politics has become increasingly violent
Evangelist Ebitumitula Embiowei, a House of Assembly candidate in Bayelsa State, said Nigerian politics had increasingly shifted away from competition based on ideas and competence.
He said: “Today, however, many politicians are perceived as prioritizing personal enrichment, acquiring wealth, power, and property, over public service.”
According to him, the resulting environment has encouraged intimidation, coercion and violence, leaving ordinary Nigerians to bear the consequences of electoral unrest.
He urged citizens to reject politicians who rely on fear and force, insisting that elections should be won through records, ideas and vision.
ISSJHR calls for immediate investigation
Dr. Jackson Omenazu, Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), said the allegations required serious investigation by security and law-enforcement authorities.
He identified political desperation, the enormous value attached to public office, weak accountability and a culture of impunity as possible factors behind such alleged practices.
“We call for stronger intelligence gathering, better protection for witnesses and whistleblowers, effective monitoring of political financing, and swift prosecution of electoral-violence cases,” Omenazu said.
Aghomi urges Duke to provide proof
Austin Aghomi, Media Consultant and Coordinator of Journalists for Just Development of the Niger Delta, said electoral violence had been a recurring feature of Nigeria’s political history.
“From the Ondo election violence in 1965 to the deadlier 1983 clashes during the Second Republic, and the Abonnema killings in 2019, every election cycle has been marked by bloodshed,” he said.
However, Aghomi cautioned Duke against making broad claims without evidence, urging him to name those allegedly involved or provide proof to the relevant authorities.
He attributed politicians’ desperation partly to deep-seated corruption and the enormous financial incentives associated with political office.
Igbo Women Assembly: Ritual cannot guarantee victory
Lolo Nneka Chimezie, National President of the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), warned that the desperation to win elections could fuel both ritual killings and political violence ahead of 2027.
She said politicians sometimes arm and fund youths to intimidate opponents during elections, only to abandon them after achieving their political objectives.
Chimezie said: “Two desperate politicians may engage in the same rituals, but only one person can emerge winner. That alone should tell us that ritual does not determine who wins an election.”
She urged politicians to seek electoral victory by winning the confidence of voters and allowing Nigerians to freely choose their leaders.
Abia elders caution against generalisation
Archbishop Professor Princewill Ariwodo, Chairman of the Abia State Elders Consultative Forum, said while some politicians could potentially engage in ritual killings, the allegation should not be generalised to all politicians.
He said: “Some could get to that extent, but not everyone. I know there is ritual killing in Nigeria, but I cannot say politicians generally do rituals to grab power because we have not caught or prosecuted anyone for that.”
Ariwodo said anyone who sheds innocent blood for political power should desist, stressing that power is temporary and that every person would ultimately be held accountable for their actions.
Bakkita Bello: Political desperation ends in vanity
Former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly and Ondo State Secretary of Afenifere, Rt. Hon. Bakkita Bello, described human sacrifice as abnormal, cruel, inhuman and condemnable.
He said: “Any act of human sacrifice is against the law whether in Nigeria or any other part of the world. It is against humanity and all forms of morality.”
Bello further warned: “Moreover, such desperation ends in vanity. Power is transient and ephemeral.”
Ekujumi: Those involved must face full wrath of law
Human rights activist Comrade Nelson Ekujumi condemned the alleged use of ritual practices as a means of securing political power.
He said: “I cannot rationalize such horrendous and criminal acts as a pathway to winning election, it doesn’t make sense.”
According to Ekujumi, politicians who engage in such practices demonstrate a lack of understanding of democracy and should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
The reactions come as political parties and aspirants prepare for the 2027 general election, with stakeholders increasingly calling for credible elections, stronger institutions and an end to violence and practices that threaten human life.
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