The United States of America and Nigeria held the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission meeting in Abuja, deliberating on “a wide range of bilateral and global issues,” including creation of state police in Nigeria.
A “joint statement on the 2024 U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission” released on Monday indicated that salient issues were deliberated during the April 29-30, 2024 meeting between Nigeria and U.S. officials.
U.S. and Nigerian delegates at the meeting “discussed President Tinubu’s creation of a police reform commission, and the United States offered its expertise to the Government of Nigeria,” the statement noted.
It stated, “Both also discussed the potential challenges and needs of state police forces should the Nigerian Assembly pass an act creating such.”
It added that “the United States demonstrated a strong commitment to support Nigeria’s efforts to build the capacity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system and strengthen police reforms and accountability in Nigeria.”
This comes amid renewed clamour for state police creation to tackle security challenges in Nigeria.
According to the statement, this year’s Binational Commission built on the strong foundation agreed during the January 23, 2024, meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Abuja, as well as the momentum from the last BNC held in Washington, D.C., in February 2020.
Nigerian minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf M. Tuggar, led the Nigerian interministerial delegation, while Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, headed the U.S. delegation of federal departments and agencies to the meeting.
