A United States congressman with a sustained record of engagement on Nigeria’s security crisis has again called on Abuja to devolve policing authority to state governments, arguing that the current centralised structure is failing communities under repeated attack.
Riley Moore, who represents West Virginia’s Second District in the US House of Representatives, made the call in a post on X, writing: “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 remarks were prompted by a fresh attack on St. James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Taraba State, which Moore said was burned down by Fulani militants, part of what he described as a pattern of sustained terrorism against Christian communities.
Moore has been actively vocal on Nigeria’s security challenges, consistently raising concerns about religious violence and the rise of extremist groups, positions that broadly reflect the foreign policy stance of US President Donald Trump. In recent months, he has backed legislative initiatives in Washington and pushed for greater accountability from Nigerian authorities.
The congressman previously led a delegation to Nigeria, where he met senior government officials including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi, and Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede. He also subsequently presented a formal report on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria directly to the White House.
Moore’s call arrives at a moment when Nigeria’s federal government is itself moving in the same direction. Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu recently inaugurated an eight-member committee chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin to develop a framework for implementing state-level policing, in what appears to be a significant step by President Bola Tinubu’s administration towards restructuring the country’s security architecture.
Moore has also advocated for Nigeria to be redesignated as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged widespread religious persecution, a classification that carries diplomatic consequences and was previously applied under the Trump administration.
