Here’s a roundup of major Nigerian newspaper headlines, along with urgent calls to action for those in power. 

1. ‘Airstrike kills seven Katsina villagers; bandits gun down three security men’ – Daily Trust

Seven innocent civilians were said to have been killed by a military airstrike that hit Yauni community, Zakka ward of Safana local government area of Katsina State.

Our Take: How many more ‘accidental’ airstrikes will it take before the military gets a better aim? Civilians shouldn’t have to live in fear of both bandits and those meant to protect them. If the government can track down social media critics in minutes, surely it can invest in precision strikes that don’t turn villages into target practice. It’s time for accountability, better intelligence, and an end to these tragic errors, because innocent lives shouldn’t be collateral damage.

2. ‘Borno missing children rise as Boko Haram steps up recruitment’ – Punch

The case of missing children in Borno State has sparked public outcry, following a disturbing video of a young boy confessing to undergoing military training in a forest alongside dozens of other children.

Our Take: If a child can confess on camera to Boko Haram’s recruitment camps, why are security agencies still ‘investigating’ instead of rescuing? The Nigerian military and police must act swiftly. These forests are not mythical, and neither are the missing children. Every delay strengthens insurgents and weakens trust in governance. It’s time for urgent intelligence-driven operations to bring these children home and dismantle the training camps.

3. ‘Despite N7.2 trillion subsidies, power sector inefficiencies take toll on consumers’ – The Guardian 

Burdened by rising inefficiency in the power sector, which has birthed N7.2 trillion in subsidy and other accumulated debts, Nigerian electricity consumers have continued to raise concerns over the multi-year tariff structure of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Our Take: Minister Adebayo Adelabu, how much more will Nigerians pay for darkness? N7.2 trillion in subsidies, yet power supply remains unreliable while distribution companies (DisCos) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hide behind inefficiencies. It’s time to stop patching a broken system and enforce real reforms, hold operators accountable, and ensure that consumers get value for their money.