Duru was born on July 27, 1969 in Cameroon to Nigerian parents who hail from Imo State a Southeastern geographical location of Nigeria. He received both primary and secondary school education in Cameroon but in order to obtain a B.Sc. degree, he moved to Nigeria where he applied to the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State in the South-south region of Nigeria and was accepted as an undergraduate to study Theatre arts. In 1996, he obtained a B.Sc. degree in Theatre Arts.
Duru debuted in the Nigerian movie industry in 1989 with a movie titled Missing Mark. The movie was directed by the now deceased director; Ndubuisi Oko. Duru’s feature in the movie did not do enough for his career as at the time he was still regarded as an up-and-coming actor.
Duru became more prominent in the Nigerian movie industry in 1995 after featuring in an action-comedy movie titled Rattle Snake a movie produced by now deceased director; Amaka Igwe. He played a significant role in a character called Ahanna.
Duru and his wife Adokiye got married in 2003 and have four children together. Duru and Adokiye both attended the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.