SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE KIDNAP OF CHILDREN AND TEACHERS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the social media coverage of the kidnap of children and teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria, with theaim of analysing the nature of coverage and the dominant narratives employed in reporting the incident. The specificobjectives were to examine the nature and pattern of social media coverage and to assess the dominant frames andnarratives presented across selected social media platforms. The study was anchored on the Framing Theory andadopted a quantitative content analysis research design. A total of 400 social media posts purposively selected fromFacebook and X (formerly Twitter) constituted the sample for the study. Data were analysed using frequencies andpercentages. The findings revealed that the incident received substantial social media attention, with straight newsreports dominating the coverage. The analysis further showed that the government failure and security lapse framewas the most dominant narrative, followed by sympathy for the victims and public calls for improved security. Thestudy concluded that social media played a significant role in shaping public discourse on the kidnapping incident byinfluencing how the crisis was interpreted and discussed. It recommended that media practitioners and social mediausers prioritise accuracy and responsible reporting, while government agencies should strengthen digital crisiscommunication to curb misinformation during security emergencies.