"ROLE OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS IN CURBING ACADEMIC FRAUD IN NIGERIA'S INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING. (A CASE STUDY OF UMAR AUDU)"

Aside the media, it is the responsibility to school and institutions in Nigeria play a significant role in the overall socialization process of children and young adults. The beliefs and expectations that will underpin their behaviour as adults are often developed or reinforced in learning environments. The study reviewed these concepts, investigative journalism, academy fraud, higher learning and others. The study also reviewed the following theories was based on framing theory and spiral on silence theory. The researcher also use previous studies like Petter Gottschalk (2020), Filling the Gap in White-Collar Crime Detection Between Government and Governance: The Role of Investigative Journalists and Fraud Examiners. The population of this study, the researcher will be using residents of Abeokuta South local government areas. Primary and secondary sources of data gathering were employed. The survey method which allowed for data gathering from two hundred and eight (208) respondents was adopted, while two hundred (200) copies of the questionnaire were retrieved and processed. According to findings revealed in the study, 78% of respondents agree that Nigeria media institutions must first purge themselves of bad eggs among them and create an enabling environment for practitioners to perform effectively before pointing finger on corrupt civil servant ,politicians and business man. The study concludes that investigative journalism is a vital tool in curbing academic fraud in Nigeria’s higher learning institutions. Journalists like Umar Audu have demonstrated how in-depth investigations can expose fraud and prompt policy responses. The study recommends that the government should enact stricter laws against academic fraud, ensuring that offenders—both individuals and institutions—face severe consequences.