US congressman urges Nigeria to adopt state policing amid attacks on Christians

A United States congressman, Riley M. Moore, has urged the Nigerian government to decentralise its policing structure by allowing state governments to establish their own police forces in order to better tackle insecurity and protect vulnerable communities.

Moore made the call in a post on his X account late Wednesday, where he expressed concern over continued attacks on Christian communities in parts of Nigeria.

“Christians in Nigeria continue to face brutal violence and death at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists,” the lawmaker wrote.

“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.”

Moore’s comment was in response to a post by Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel and religious freedom advocate at ADF International, who reported an attack on St. James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Taraba State.

Sharing images from the scene, Nelson alleged that the church had been destroyed by suspected Fulani militants.

“Another Christian church in Nigeria destroyed by Fulani militants,” he wrote, lamenting what he described as continued violence against Christian communities.

Earlier, the US lawmaker had also condemned the reported killing of 27 Christians by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Adamawa State.

The attack, which reportedly occurred in February in the Kirshinga community in northeastern Nigeria, also left at least 10 houses burned during the assault.

The incident was disclosed by security researcher Brant Philip, who monitors extremist violence in West and East Africa. In a post on X, Philip said the militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to him, the insurgents allegedly warned Christian residents that they must either pay the jizyah tax, convert to Islam or face death, describing the ultimatum as a “fair deal.”

Reacting to the development, Moore said the incident reflects the continued targeting of Christians because of their faith and called for stronger measures to address the situation.

“Christians continue to be explicitly targeted for their faith in Nigeria,” he wrote.

“ISIS-West Africa is slaughtering Christians and telling other Christians they must convert or die.”

The congressman added that the issue had already been raised in a report submitted to the White House, stressing that future American support for Nigeria’s security efforts would depend on greater action to protect Christian communities.

“In our report to the White House, we made it clear that increased American support is contingent on the Nigerian government doing more to defend Christians,” he said.

“Now is the time for Abuja to step up.”

Nigeria’s northeast has remained a hotspot for insurgent violence for over a decade, with terrorist groups such as ISWAP and Boko Haram carrying out attacks that have resulted in deaths, displacement of communities and widespread destruction of property.

Security analysts warn that persistent attacks on civilian populations could further destabilise affected areas if stronger preventive and protective measures are not implemented.