State Police Will Tackle Insecurity, Protect Nigerian Christians — US Lawmaker
A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has welcomed the Nigerian Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police, saying the move could strengthen the protection of citizens, especially Christians facing persecution.
Moore made the remarks in a post on his X account on Wednesday, shortly after the Senate approved the bill aimed at decentralising policing by allowing states to operate their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
The U.S. congressman, who has repeatedly raised concerns about attacks on Christians in Nigeria, said he had long advocated for the reform.
“I’m encouraged to see Nigeria’s Senate approve legislation to establish state-level police forces, a reform I’ve called for publicly and privately since I first started investigating the genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
“I can’t stress how critical this law that will empower states to protect their own citizens and reducing dependence on decision makers in Abuja is to the effort to defend persecuted Christians and address insecurity,” he wrote.
Moore also praised President Bola Tinubu for supporting the proposal but noted that the constitutional amendment still requires ratification by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly before it can become law.
“President Tinubu deserves credit for pushing it forward, but now we need 2/3rds of the states to ratify before it will take effect,” he added.
The Senate passed the Constitution Alteration Bill on Wednesday after more than two-thirds of lawmakers voted in favour during a manual voting process.
The proposed legislation seeks to create a state policing framework that will operate alongside the federal police system. Under the bill, governors would be empowered to appoint Commissioners of Police for their states, subject to confirmation by their respective state Houses of Assembly.
The bill also contains safeguards against abuse, stipulating that state police cannot be used against individuals or groups solely for criticising a state government, except as provided by law.
The amendment will only take effect after securing the required approvals from state legislatures and completing other constitutional procedures.
