The Senate on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, suspended consideration of the State Police Bill and other legislative business following the death of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yaya Tongo.
The upper chamber had reconvened from recess with expectations of advancing constitutional amendment proposals, including the bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu to establish state police as part of broader security reforms aimed at tackling banditry, kidnapping and insurgency.
Proceedings were halted after Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced Tongo’s death, who represented Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State.
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Tongo died on June 12, 2026, at Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, after a brief illness.
Tributes have continued from political leaders, including former Minister Isa Pantami and Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who described him as a committed grassroots lawmaker.
Elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tongo was re-elected in 2023 before defecting in March 2026 to the African Democratic Congress.
Senators observed a minute’s silence before adjourning in his honour, delaying further action on the security reform bill.