A United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has praised Nigeria’s House of Representatives for passing the State Police Bill, describing the move as a significant step toward tackling insecurity and addressing the alleged persecution of Christians across the country.
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved the bill seeking to empower Nigeria’s 36 states to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
The proposed legislation secured the support of 289 lawmakers, while one member voted against it and another abstained.
Having already passed second reading in the Senate, the bill must still be approved by the upper chamber, endorsed by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly, and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu before it can take effect.
Reacting to the development in a statement posted on his X account, Moore said he was pleased with the progress.
“I’m thankful to see that Nigeria’s House of Representatives passed this important policy that I’ve been calling for since @POTUS first asked me to investigate the genocide against Christians in Nigeria,” he said.
The U.S. lawmaker added that he had consistently advocated the idea in discussions with Nigerian officials.
“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 stated.
According to Moore, empowering subnational governments to take greater responsibility for security is essential to improving safety across the country.
“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 applauded Bola Tinubu for supporting the proposal and encouraging its passage through the National Assembly.
“President Tinubu deserves credit for supporting this legislation and urging its passage through Nigeria’s parliament,” Moore said.
While expressing optimism about the development, the congressman noted that additional steps are required before state police forces become operational.
“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 added.
