Narrating Conflict in the Sahel: A Comparative Analysis of Nigerian Newspapers’ Coverage of the Boko Haram Insurgency

Abstract

This paper explores how major Nigerian newspapers construct narratives around the Boko Haram insurgency through framing and evaluative language. Drawing on a ten-year corpus (2013–2022) of news articles from The Punch, Daily Trust, Vanguard, and ThisDay, the study analyzes how conflict is discursively represented, ideologically framed, and regionally emphasized. Through thematic mapping and appraisal theory, we find significant variation in narrative tone, attribution of moral responsibility, and engagement with humanitarian consequences. Southern newspapers tend to adopt more sensationalist and state-critical framings, while northern-based media prioritize pragmatic concerns and local experiences. Linguistic strategies such as judgment, engagement modulation, and affective scaling reveal how journalism in times of insurgency is both a site of meaning-making and an instrument of power. The study concludes by advocating for more contextually grounded, ethically reflective, and community-centered journalism in the reporting of complex national security crises.