A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has welcomed the Nigerian Senate’s approval of the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police, describing the move as a crucial step towards improving security and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly Christians.
Moore made the remarks in a post on his X account on Wednesday following the Senate’s passage of the bill, which proposes the creation of state-controlled police forces to operate alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
The lawmaker, who has repeatedly raised concerns over attacks on Christians in Nigeria, said the reform aligns with recommendations he has 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 stated.
He added that empowering states to manage their own security architecture would reduce reliance on federal authorities and strengthen efforts to tackle insecurity.
“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 wrote.
Moore also praised President Bola Tinubu for supporting the initiative 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 two-thirds of the states to ratify before it will take effect,” he added.
The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill after securing the support of more than two-thirds of lawmakers during a manual voting process.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish a state policing system that will operate concurrently with the federal police structure. It also empowers state governors to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by their state Houses of Assembly.
To prevent misuse, the bill contains provisions prohibiting the deployment of state police against individuals or groups solely for criticising a state government, except as permitted by law.
The amendment will only become part of the Constitution after obtaining the required approvals from state legislatures and completing other constitutional procedures.
Advertisement