Decoding the Ideological Square in Selected Nigerian Newspapers’ Headlines and Captions Depicting Sexual Violence

This study investigates the discursive strategies employed in the representation of sexual violence within the Nigerian media landscape by focusing on six (6) newspaper headlines and captions respectively from Vanguard Newspaper, Guardian Newspaper and the Daily Trust in 2020 only.Theoretically, it adopts Teun van Dijk's (1998) framework of the Ideological Square to deconstructs how linguistic choices facilitate the "positive selfpresentation" of state institutions and the society while reinforcing the "negative otherpresentation" of the perpetrators of this sexual crime.Thus, this study is framed within the discourse dynamics of Us (state, society and victim) vs Them ("Other"), and this label help to ostracise the "Other" from the moral community and strip them of any significant human quality and dignity.In conclusion, the study recommends that Nigerian media transition toward survivor-centered reporting by adopting active-voice constructions that ensure perpetrator accountability and eliminating the objectification of victims.Furthermore, it advocates for a thematic approach to reporting that treats sexual violence as a systemic social crisis requiring institutional reform rather than isolated sensationalist events.