Fresh data highlighting Nigeria's worsening security situation has added urgency to the Federal Government's efforts to establish state police, with more than 5,000 people reported killed in violent incidents across the country during the second quarter of 2026.
According to a report released on Monday by SBM Intelligence, no fewer than 5,091 people lost their lives between April and June in attacks linked to terrorism, insurgency, armed robbery, kidnappings and other forms of violent crime. The report also indicated that 304 security personnel were among those killed during the period.
Borno State recorded the highest number of fatalities, accounting for 1,355 deaths, underscoring the continued impact of insurgency in the North-East.
In a separate assessment, EONS Intelligence reported that July alone witnessed 417 security incidents, resulting in 264 deaths across different parts of the country.
The grim statistics come as the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill moves ahead with plans to submit the proposed legislation to President Bola Tinubu on September 3, after concluding work on the draft.
The committee, inaugurated in July to prepare the legal framework for the implementation of state police, has also opened the draft to public participation by inviting Nigerians to submit memoranda and recommendations before the bill is forwarded to the National Assembly.
Speaking after the group's inaugural meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Chairman of the Working Group and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the process would be transparent and inclusive.
He explained that following presidential approval, the draft would undergo nationwide consultations to enable citizens and stakeholders to examine its provisions before it is formally transmitted to lawmakers.
"The approved work programme is a seven-week, milestone-driven exercise running from July 27 to September 14, 2026. The Executive Bill package is scheduled for presentation to the President on September 3. After his approval, there will be national consultations before the final draft is sent to the National Assembly," he said.
Gbajabiamila dismissed concerns that the Federal Government intended to retain excessive control over state police through the proposed legislation.
He said the objective of the bill was to create a legal framework that would clearly define the responsibilities of federal and state police formations, establish funding arrangements and address issues relating to recruitment, operational jurisdiction and amendments to existing laws.
He disclosed that the committee was considering a proposal that would allow the Federal Government to provide grants to states that might require financial support during the take-off phase of their police services.
The Chief of Staff also encouraged Nigerians to make use of the committee's interactive website to contribute ideas, insisting that public participation would strengthen the final legislation.
He added that while the financial implications of state police were yet to be fully determined, the protection of lives and property should remain the overriding priority.
The proposed reform has received strong backing from the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), which described state police as a necessary response to Nigeria's growing security challenges.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun said decentralised policing was consistent with international practice and long overdue in Nigeria.
He argued that no major federal system operates a completely centralised police structure, adding that Nigeria's diversity and security realities made the case for state police even stronger.
Abiodun said there was now broad national agreement that new policing strategies were needed, stressing that the country could not continue relying on existing approaches while expecting different results.
He also urged the media to sustain public engagement on the reform process, describing it as a major step towards improving internal security.
Despite the growing support, the proposal has also attracted calls for caution.
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly not to rush the establishment of state police without broader consultations.
In a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Nafiu Baba Ahmad, the council acknowledged the country's serious security challenges but argued that policing reforms alone would not solve the problem.
It identified poor funding, corruption, inadequate personnel, weak intelligence gathering, obsolete equipment and poor coordination among security agencies as the major drivers of insecurity.
The council maintained that addressing those structural deficiencies should be prioritised alongside any constitutional amendment establishing state police, warning that the reform should not be viewed as a quick fix to the country's security crisis.
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