Northern senators have called for urgent action on the State Police Bill.
The Northern Senators Forum made the demand on Friday following recent terrorist attacks in Adamawa and Sokoto states.
In a statement by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central), the senators from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory urged the Federal Government, state governors and State Houses of Assembly to give prompt attention and concurrence to the State Police Bill currently awaiting ratification.
The Forum condemned the attacks in Gaya community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and in Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The incidents claimed the lives of over 36 Nigerians, including security personnel and worshippers.
According to the statement, suspected Boko Haram insurgents invaded Gaya community on the night of Monday, 17 August 2026. The attackers set two houses ablaze and killed eight people, including one Police Inspector and seven civilians.
In a related incident on Friday, 15 August 2026, suspected terrorists from the Lakurawa group, reported to be linked to extremist networks in Mali and Niger, attacked worshippers at Ungushi village in Kebbe LGA during Friday prayers. About 30 people were killed. The attack followed the killing of four soldiers in the area earlier that day.
The senators said decentralised policing is critical to improving response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots. They also called on state and local governments to invest in and strengthen community vigilante groups to serve as intelligence partners to the Police and Military.
“We cannot continue to lose innocent lives to insurgents while bureaucracy delays critical security reforms. The time to act is now,” the statement read.
The Forum commiserated with the families of the victims and with the governments and people of Adamawa and Sokoto States. It prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed and for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The State Police Bill, already passed by the National Assembly, is currently before the State Houses of Assembly for concurrence. It requires approval by at least 24 state legislatures before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.
The Northern Senators Forum directed its call specifically to the Federal Government through the Presidential Working Group chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, as well as to the state governors and the State Houses of Assembly.
The senators described the recent attacks as part of a wave of violence that continues to claim lives across parts of the North. They stressed that the existing security architecture has not been sufficient to prevent such incidents or to ensure rapid response at the community level.
The statement made clear that the Forum sees the passage and implementation of the State Police Bill as an urgent security necessity rather than a matter that can wait further delay.
The senators said quicker action on the bill would help address gaps in local security coordination. They maintained that stronger community-level policing would improve the flow of information between residents and security agencies and could support faster intervention when attacks occur.
They also urged authorities to prevent further delays in the concurrence process.