US Accuses Nigerian Government of Complicity in Human Trafficking, Lists Country Among Child Soldier Recruiters
The United States government has raised concerns over alleged official complicity in human trafficking in Nigeria, accusing authorities of failing to adequately investigate and prosecute public officials suspected of involvement in trafficking-related crimes.
Nigeria was also listed among 14 countries identified for the recruitment and use of child soldiers in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the US Department of State.
The report covers the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, and retains Nigeria on Tier 2, a classification for countries that do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but are making significant efforts to comply.
Nigeria was listed alongside Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA).
According to the report, the designation could trigger restrictions on international military education and training, foreign military financing, excess defence articles, peacekeeping operations and licences for direct commercial sales of military equipment, unless a presidential waiver is granted.
The restrictions are scheduled to take effect from October 1, 2026.
Despite the concerns, the US government acknowledged that Nigeria had made progress in investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases, recording more convictions and increasing funding for victim support compared with the previous reporting period.
Alleged Official Complicity and Victim Protection Failures
The report described corruption and alleged official involvement in trafficking crimes as significant concerns, noting that the Nigerian government did not report investigations, prosecutions or convictions of government employees suspected of complicity in such crimes during the reporting period.
It also said authorities failed to provide details of actions taken against officials allegedly involved in trafficking in previous years.
The report further alleged that, in several cases, the government coerced victims of forced marriage, including trafficking victims, to return to their Boko Haram husbands at demobilisation centres in Borno State.
On victim protection, the US government said 675 trafficking victims received assistance in 2025, compared with 2,058 in the previous year.
It added that support services, particularly for male victims, remained inadequate, with only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter available for adult male victims during the reporting period.
The report also criticised restrictions on freedom of movement in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
According to the document, victims were sometimes required to cooperate with law enforcement investigations to access certain protection services, while adults who declined shelter accommodation were not provided with assistance.
It further stated that Nigeria lacked a formal policy to prevent trafficking victims from being returned to countries where they could face hardship or retaliation.
The report also noted that, unlike the previous reporting period, the government did not report transferring any children associated with non-state armed groups.
Child Soldiers and Weak Labour Protection
The US government identified Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as groups that continue to recruit, abduct and use children in armed conflict.
According to the report, children as young as 12 are allegedly used as cooks, domestic workers, spies, porters, messengers, bodyguards, checkpoint guards, armed combatants and suicide bombers.
The report also criticised Nigeria’s labour protection framework, stating that the government had not prohibited recruitment fees paid by workers or reported holding labour recruiters civilly and criminally liable for fraudulent recruitment.
It added that labour inspectors had not received specialised training on child labour and human trafficking, while diplomatic personnel had not been provided with anti-trafficking training.
Foreign Exploitation and Human Trafficking Trends
The report raised concerns about foreign criminal syndicates that allegedly recruit victims for employment in Nigeria, confine them in rented properties and force them to participate in organised online scams.
It also claimed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Education helped promote Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite warning signs.
The report further alleged that Russian authorities fraudulently recruited Nigerians to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
It also raised concerns about possible forced labour involving North Korean and Chinese nationals working in Nigeria.
Baby Factories, Forced Labour and Sexual Exploitation
The US report identified so-called baby factories as a serious human trafficking concern in Nigeria, particularly in the southern part of the country.
According to the document, illegal operators often disguise these facilities as orphanages, maternity homes or religious centres, where women are allegedly detained, raped and forced to become pregnant and give birth before their babies are sold.
The report said Nigerian authorities and non-governmental organisations had described the practice as a widespread criminal industry.
It also identified children and adults as victims of forced labour and sexual exploitation in several sectors, including domestic work, begging, street vending, textile manufacturing, agriculture, granite quarries and artisanal mining.
Children working on cocoa farms were also identified as potential victims of forced labour.
The report further alleged that some Quranic school teachers exploit boys from rural communities by forcing them to beg or engage in seasonal agricultural work.
It also highlighted the practice of money marriages in some states, where families allegedly give women and girls into forced marriages with older men to settle family debts.
US Acknowledges Progress in Anti-Trafficking Efforts
Despite the criticisms, the report acknowledged an increase in Nigeria’s anti-trafficking enforcement activities.
According to the figures, Nigerian authorities investigated 1,341 trafficking cases involving 1,367 suspects in 2025, compared with 744 investigations in 2024.
The government also prosecuted 94 suspects and secured 97 convictions in 2025, up from 71 prosecutions and 49 convictions in the previous year.
The report said most convicted traffickers received prison sentences of at least one year.
It also noted that the government increased funding for victim services to ₦233 million, approximately $161,000, in 2025, from ₦128 million in 2024.
Funding for prevention programmes rose to ₦245 million, approximately $169,000, from ₦58.8 million in the previous year.
Other efforts highlighted included the establishment of a police cybercrime unit to tackle online scam operations, cooperation with foreign governments and INTERPOL, and the identification of 2,004 trafficking victims.
The government also coordinated the repatriation of 428 Nigerians exploited abroad and secured restitution for 14 victims as part of criminal sentences.
The report added that Nigeria continued implementing its 2022–2026 National Action Plan, operating an anti-trafficking hotline, conducting public awareness campaigns and maintaining anti-trafficking task forces in 23 states.
