Welcome to Wednesday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, where we scan the papers and then gently remind power that citizens are still awake.
1. Vanguard: Kaduna: Names of 177 abducted worshippers revealed
So the names of 177 worshippers who were kidnapped from two churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State, are out. Entire families are gone, and the community is practically emptied of able-bodied people, barely a week after the same villagers somehow raised N2.6 million to free 20 abducted residents. But in classic fashion, authorities first said the abduction did not happen until a police situation report quietly confirmed it.
Our Take: Nigerians must demand that the Kaduna State Government and Police Command explain why a situation report confirming a mass kidnapping can coexist with state denials in the first place. We should insist on transparent communication during security crises, accountability for intelligence and response failures, and concrete timelines for rescue efforts, not vague assurances after the damage is done.
2. Punch: States hosting IDPs eye $12m World Bank loan
States hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) may soon be smiling at the prospect of earning up to $12 million, not as a gift, but as a reward, under a new World Bank–backed federal project that says, ‘show us the work first’. In other words, states only get paid after independent checks confirm they’ve actually improved life for IDPs and host communities, not just held workshops and printed banners, and Nigerians will be watching closely to see whether this becomes real accountability or just accountability with better PowerPoint slides.
Our Take: Nigerians should demand transparency that goes beyond glossy launch photos and long acronyms and also insist that IDPs and host communities themselves have a seat at the table, that independent verification reports are published in plain language, and that this money does not become another ‘performance’ where the only thing integrated is the loan into state budgets.
3. The Guardian: Electoral Act: Gaps in e-transmission, vote-buying sanctions spark calls for reform
As Nigeria tiptoes toward the 2027 elections, the familiar anxiety over ‘will our votes count’? is back in full swing, thanks to the loose ends in the Electoral Act 2022 that everyone keeps promising to fix someday. Now, stakeholders are warning that credibility is once again hanging by a thread.
Our Take: Nigerians must demand more than recycled promises and press statements dressed up as reform. We should insist, loudly and relentlessly, on clear, binding provisions for electronic transmission of results, the actual prosecution of electoral offenders (not ceremonial arrests followed by silence), and an INEC that answers to the law rather than political comfort.
