36 Killed: Northern Senators Push for State Police Reform

The Northern Senators Forum has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Gaya community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, which claimed the lives of more than 36 Nigerians, including security personnel and innocent worshippers.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, and made available to journalists in Abuja.
According to confirmed reports, suspected Boko Haram insurgents invaded Gaya community in Hong LGA on the night of Monday, August 17, 2026. The attackers reportedly set two houses ablaze and killed eight people, including a Police Inspector and seven civilians.
In a related incident on Friday, August 15, 2026, suspected terrorists from Lakurawa, a group reportedly linked to extremist networks in Mali and Niger, attacked worshippers during Friday prayers at Ungushi village in Kebbe LGA, Sokoto State. About 30 people were reportedly killed. The attack followed the killing of four soldiers in the area earlier that day.
The Northern Senators Forum commiserated with the families of the victims, as well as the governments and people of Adamawa and Sokoto States.
In response to the tragedies, the Forum called on the Federal Government, through the Presidential Working Group chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, State Governors and State Houses of Assembly, to give prompt attention to and concur with the State Police Bill currently awaiting ratification.
The Forum said decentralised policing was critical to improving response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots. It also urged State and Local Governments to invest in and strengthen community vigilante groups as intelligence partners to the Police and Military.
The Forum stressed that Nigeria could not continue to lose innocent lives to insurgents while bureaucracy delayed critical security reforms, insisting that the time to act was now.
It prayed for the repose of the souls of those killed and the speedy recovery of those injured.