Welcome to Wednesday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-focused calls on issues that impact citizens.

1. Daily Trust: 24 Kebbi School Girls Rescued 

Daily Trust reports that the Presidency has confirmed that the 24 students abducted last week from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State have been released.

Our Take: While the release of the Kebbi schoolgirls brings some relief, we can’t keep clapping every time kidnappers ‘return’ children like borrowed textbooks. Concrete action is overdue. The federal government and security agencies must immediately mobilise coordinated operations to rescue the remaining Borno students, tighten intelligence around schools in vulnerable communities, and finally implement the Safe Schools Declaration beyond press statements.

2. The Guardian: INEC Vows Crackdown on Election Rigging

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, has declared that the Commission will ramp up its fight against election rigging and vote-buying, making the pledge while swearing in Prof Adeniran Tella as a new Resident Electoral Commissioner in Abuja.

Our Take: If INEC is serious about cleaning up elections, then it should move from fine speeches to firm steps, because Nigerians have heard enough promises to fill a manifesto. The Commission must immediately strengthen monitoring mechanisms, clamp down on vote-buying networks, and enforce the Electoral Act with real consequences, not polite warnings. Citizens expect INEC to finally prove that elections are not meant to resemble a bargain sale where credibility is haggled away.

3. Vanguard: Insecurity: Reps protest rising attacks

The House of Representatives, yesterday, held a special plenary session on Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, with lawmakers issuing some of the strongest self-indicting speeches heard in the chamber in recent years. Members warned that the country was ‘slipping’, institutions failing, adding that parliament must take responsibility to rescue the nation.

Our Take: Lawmakers who boldly admitted Nigeria is ‘slipping’ should stop sounding like commentators and start acting like the parliament they claim to be. The House must push real reforms on border control, strengthen oversight of security agencies, and pass laws that tackle political violence and economic vulnerability, not just organise more passionate speeches that trend for a day.