A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has welcomed the Nigerian Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police, describing the move as a significant step toward improving security and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly Christians facing persecution.
Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, made the remarks in a post shared on his X handle on Wednesday.
His reaction followed the approval of the constitutional amendment by the Senate, which seeks to decentralise policing by allowing individual states to establish and operate their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
The U.S. congressman, who has repeatedly raised concerns about attacks against Christians in Nigeria, said the reform was one he had consistently advocated both publicly and privately.
“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,” Moore wrote.
He argued that the creation of state police would empower sub-national governments to respond more effectively to security threats and reduce reliance on decision-makers 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,” he added.
Moore also commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the proposal and helping to advance the legislation through the constitutional amendment process.
“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 stated.
The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill after more than two-thirds of lawmakers voted in favour during a manual voting process.
The proposed amendment seeks to establish a state policing framework that would operate concurrently with the federal police structure.
Under the bill, governors would have the authority to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by the State Houses of Assembly.
The legislation also includes provisions designed to prevent abuse of power. It stipulates that state police cannot be deployed against individuals or groups solely for criticising a state government except in accordance with existing laws and due legal processes.
For the amendment to become part of the Constitution, it must still receive approval from at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly across the federation and complete other constitutional requirements before it can take effect.
Supporters of the proposal argue that decentralised policing will improve intelligence gathering, enhance local security coordination and enable quicker responses to crime and insecurity, while critics have raised concerns about possible political interference and operational challenges.
If fully adopted, the legislation would represent one of the most significant reforms to Nigeria’s policing system since independence.
