A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has welcomed the passage of state police bill by Nigeria’s House of Representatives, describing it as a key step toward addressing insecurity and alleged persecution of Christians in the country.
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During Thursday’s plenary session, the House of Representatives passed the bill seeking to allow the country’s 36 states to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the Federal Nigeria Police Force.
During Thursday’s plenary session, the House of Representatives passed the bill seeking to allow the country’s 36 states to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the Federal Nigeria Police Force.
It was passed by 289 lawmakers in favour, with one against and one abstention.
The bill, which had also scaled second reading in the Senate, would require passage in the Red Chamber, ratification by at least 24 state assemblies, and presidential assent to take effect.
Moore, who has been vocal on Nigeria’s security challenges, welcomed the development in a statement shared on his X handle.
“In fact, I raised this idea directly with Nigeria’s First Lady during her visit to Washington and have done so repeatedly with every Nigerian delegation I’ve met with,” he added.
Moore said strengthening the capacity of subnational governments was critical to improving security outcomes.
“Ensuring states can protect their own citizens is a critical step toward ending the persecution of Christians and the overall instability in Nigeria,” he said.
He also commended Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for backing the proposal, adding that “President Tinubu deserves credit for supporting this legislation and urging its passage through Nigeria’s parliament.”
The lawmaker further noted that while progress had been made, the reform process was not yet complete.
“There’s still a ways to go before state-level police forces will be in place, but this is a sign that all our hard work is paying off,” he said.
