A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has commended Nigeria’s move toward establishing state police, urging Nigerians to acknowledge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the landmark reform.
Moore made the remarks on Wednesday in a post on his X account following the passage of the Constitution Alteration Bill by the Nigerian Senate. The proposed legislation seeks to create state police forces that would operate alongside the Nigeria Police Force in addressing security challenges across the country.
The U.S. lawmaker, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, described the Senate’s approval of the bill as a significant step toward improving security and strengthening the capacity of states to protect their residents.
According to Moore, he has consistently advocated for the establishment of state-level policing in Nigeria, particularly in response to attacks on Christian communities and broader insecurity concerns.
“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,” he wrote.
He added that the proposed law would empower state governments to take greater responsibility for security while reducing reliance on decisions made at the federal level.
“I can’t stress how critical this law that will empower states to protect their own citizens and reduce dependence on decision makers in Abuja is to the effort to defend persecuted Christians and address insecurity,” Moore stated.
The congressman also praised President Tinubu for backing the initiative, saying the Nigerian leader deserved recognition for helping advance the proposal. “President Tinubu deserves credit for pushing it forward, but now we need two-thirds of the states to ratify before it will take effect,” he added.
The Nigerian Senate passed the Constitution Alteration Bill on Wednesday after securing the support of more than two-thirds of senators, meeting the constitutional threshold required for such amendments. If eventually enacted, the legislation will introduce a state policing structure across the federation. Governors will have the authority to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by state Houses of Assembly.
The bill also includes safeguards aimed at preventing the misuse of state police powers. Among its provisions is a clause prohibiting the deployment of state police against individuals or groups solely for criticising a state government, except as permitted by law. However, the constitutional amendment process is not yet complete.
The bill must still receive approval from at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly and fulfill other constitutional requirements before it can become part of the Nigerian Constitution.
The proposal marks one of the most significant security reforms in recent years as Nigeria continues to explore new approaches to tackling insecurity and strengthening law enforcement at the subnational level.