Welcome to Tuesday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, where we scan the papers and then gently remind power that citizens are still awake.

1. The Guardian: Fresh killings, abductions heighten security fears amid drone attacks

Just when Nigerians are trying to convince themselves that the worst is behind them, fresh killings, kidnappings and violent clashes are back in the headlines, this time with the added twist of intelligence warnings about terrorist drones, because apparently ground-level fear was not enough. From Kogi to other flashpoints, passengers are being picked off on highways, communities are counting bodies, and official silence is doing its usual overtime, all while assurances about a “stronger security architecture” echo comfortably from podiums far from the scenes of bloodshed.

Our Take: The Federal Government must treat this as a national emergency, not a local inconvenience. The Presidency, Office of the National Security Advisor, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, DSS, Nigerian Air Force, and relevant state governments should immediately activate joint operations, deploy aerial surveillance across affected corridors, disrupt kidnapping routes, and secure inter-state highways. Clear public briefings, survivor support, and measurable response timelines are essential, because insecurity that freely crosses state lines cannot be solved with state-by-state press statements.

2. Punch: Senate reconvenes today as Electoral Act triggers uproar

After days of public outrage, protests, and the kind of national side-eye that refuses to go away, the Senate has suddenly discovered the urgency button, calling an emergency plenary over its now-infamous decision to drop real-time electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act. Today’s sitting will test whether this emergency is about fixing a credibility crisis or simply explaining, once again, why Nigerians should calm down and trust the process.

Our Take: The Senate must use this emergency sitting to do more than manage public anger and commit to transparent voting records. Nigerians deserve laws that protect their votes, not late-night edits that weaken them.

3. Vanguard: Nigeria will Continue Borrowing to Fund N25.91trn Budget Deficit — Senate

So even as Nigerians groan under rising debt and shrinking wallets, the Senate has said borrowing will continue, but this time, it will be different. While lawmakers insist that the era of rolled-over budgets and endlessly extended implementation cycles is coming to an end, MDAs have been put on notice to expect tougher scrutiny under the 2026 Appropriation Act, a promise that now joins a long list of fiscal vows Nigerians are watching closely, calculator in hand.

Our Take: If borrowing must continue, then accountability must stop being optional. The federal government, Ministry of Finance, Budget Office, Debt Management Office, and National Assembly should publish clear borrowing justifications, project-by-project spending timelines, and quarterly performance reports for all MDAs, with real sanctions for missed targets and abandoned projects. Nigerians cannot keep servicing loans that fund press briefings and half-built promises.