social media, Governance, Watchdog, Elections, Mirroring, Politics.

Background: Nigeria has a long history of violence and instability, characterised by poverty, social unrest, domestic uprisings, and terrorism. The media's role in conflict has historically drawn scholarly attention, with researchers advocating a shift from war to peace journalism. However, in spite of the numerous studies, there remains a gap in examining Nigerian newspapers' framing of insecurity through a conflict-sensitive journalism lens, a gap this study addressed. Objective: This study analysed how three Nigerian newspapers, Punch, Nigerian Tribune, and Daily Trust, report on insecurity in Nigeria between January and June 2022. Method: Data were collected from these newspapers and analysed using quantitative methods, guided by the framing hypothesis. Using purposive sampling and the Krejcie & Morgan table, 226 editions were selected as the sample size from a total population of 549 editions across the Nigerian newspapers, which enabled the researchers to evaluate the nature and depth of the newspapers’ coverage; from January to June 2022, a period marked by persistent insecurity in Nigeria. Individual newspaper stories served as the unit of analysis, coded across ten content categories, including genre of report, position of story, depth of stories, crisis type, gender focus, and tone, to systematically examine how the three newspapers framed insecurity issues within the stipulated period. Results: The findings revealed that while these publications do report issues of insecurity, their coverage often lacks depth and employs harsh language, reflecting a general disdain for the state of insecurity. Conclusion: The study concludes that the newspapers are yet to provide the readers with in-depth reportage of insecurity issues, as most of their stories are straight news and mostly quarter pages, and they should begin to do so. Unique Contribution: The study provides quantitative evidence that Nigerian newspapers lack depth in insecurity reporting, relying heavily on straight news rather than features, editorials and investigative pieces. This finding offers data-driven recommendations for media stakeholders, policymakers and journalism educators in Nigeria. Key Recommendation: Nigerian newspapers need to move from predominantly straight news reporting to more conflict-sensitive journalism, incorporating greater depth through investigative reports, editorials, features and opinion pieces, while media stakeholders, policymakers and journalism educators should collaborate in training journalists to adopt ethical, responsible and peace-oriented reporting frameworks that constructively address insecurity rather than merely sensationalising it.