Conceptual Metaphors in Selected Nigerian Newspapers Discourses on Paternity Fraud

Paternity fraud has become a recurring theme in Nigerian media, tapping into deep social anxieties about trust, masculinity, gender relations, and what holds families together. This study examines how Nigerian newspapers report paternity fraud through conceptual metaphors. It draws on eighteen articles from nine major national newspapers published between 2015 and 2024. Working within Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this study identifies seven (7) prevalent metaphorical patterns that shape how paternity fraud is identified in Nigerian newspapers. These metaphors collectively construct paternity fraud as a hidden truth waiting to be revealed, a socially contagious threat, and a force inflicting both gradual and catastrophic harm on individuals, families, and social trust. This study demonstrates that Nigerian newspapers construct paternity fraud through a rich and multi-layered network of metaphors. These metaphorical framings foreground male victimhood and emotional trauma, while marginalising broader structural and socio-cultural influences on family dynamics.