United States Congressman Riley Moore has once again urged Nigeria to decentralise its police force, empowering state governments to take greater responsibility for local security and better address the country’s persistent insecurity challenges.
Moore, a Republican representing West Virginia’s 2nd District, made the call in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. He was reacting to reports of yet another attack on a Christian church in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
In the post, Moore highlighted the ongoing violence against Christians, particularly in the Middle Belt, which he described as “horrific persecution” by radical Islamic terrorists. He stated:
“Christians in Nigeria continue to face brutal violence and death at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists.
The government in Abuja must step up and protect their citizens in the Middle Belt. It’s past time to decentralize police authority so state governments can protect their citizens and stop this horrific persecution.”
The lawmaker’s comments reference recent incidents, including the destruction of St. James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Taraba State, allegedly by Fulani militants. Such attacks have become recurrent in the region, where communities—often Christian farmers—have faced killings, displacement, and destruction of property attributed to armed groups, including bandits and extremists.
This is not Moore’s first intervention on Nigeria’s security situation. He has previously spoken out on religious freedom issues, advocating for stronger protections for minorities and criticising what he sees as inadequate responses from Nigerian authorities. His latest remarks renew earlier calls for structural reform of the policing system, arguing that the highly centralised Nigeria Police Force has struggled to respond effectively to localised threats.
Context of the Call for State Police
Nigeria operates a unitary police system controlled by the federal government in Abuja. Proponents of decentralisation, often referred to as “state police,” argue that it would allow states to establish and fund their own forces tailored to local security dynamics, improve response times, enhance accountability, and reduce the burden on federal resources.
The idea has been a subject of intense national debate for years, with supporters citing the country’s vast size, diverse security challenges (including banditry, insurgency, herder-farmer clashes, and separatist agitations), and the limitations of a single national force. Critics, however, raise concerns about potential abuse, ethnic or political weaponisation of state forces, and risks to national unity.
Moore’s intervention comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread insecurity, particularly in the North-Central (Middle Belt) and North-West regions. The Middle Belt has been a hotspot for violence involving Fulani militants, often framed in religious and ethnic terms, though analysts also point to underlying factors such as competition over land and resources.
Several Nigerian media outlets, including Vanguard, Punch, Leadership, and Daily Post, reported on Moore’s statement, noting his emphasis on empowering states to better safeguard lives and property.
As of now, the Nigerian government has not issued an official response to Moore’s latest remarks. Discussions around state police have gained some traction in recent times, with reports of frameworks being developed, but concrete constitutional amendments are still pending.
Moore’s call adds an international voice to the long-running domestic conversation on security sector reform in Africa’s most populous nation, where thousands have lost their lives to various forms of violence in recent years.
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