US Flags Nigeria Over Child Soldiers, Baby Factories, Complicity in Human Trafficking
The United States government has raised concerns over Nigeria’s response to human trafficking, citing alleged official complicity, inadequate protection for victims and the recruitment and use of child soldiers by non-state armed groups.
The concerns were outlined in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, covering the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
The report retained Nigeria on Tier 2, a classification for countries whose governments do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but are making significant efforts to comply.
Nigeria was also included on the US Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) list alongside 13 other countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen.
According to the US Department of State, the designation could trigger restrictions from October 1, 2026, on certain forms of military assistance to Nigeria, including 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 applies.
Despite the concerns, the report acknowledged that Nigeria recorded increased investigations, prosecutions and convictions in human trafficking cases during the reporting period.
US raises concerns over official complicity
The report identified corruption and alleged official complicity as persistent obstacles to combating human trafficking in Nigeria.
It criticised the government for failing to report investigations, prosecutions or convictions of public officials allegedly involved in trafficking offences. It also said authorities did not provide details of actions taken against officials implicated in previous years.
The report further alleged that, in some cases, authorities coerced victims of forced marriage, including trafficking survivors, 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, while specialised services, particularly for adult male victims, remained inadequate.
According to the report, Nigeria had only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter for adult male trafficking victims during the period under review.
It also criticised restrictions on the freedom of movement of residents in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The report said some victims were required to cooperate with law enforcement investigations to access certain protection services, while adults who declined shelter accommodation were not provided with alternative assistance.
It further noted that Nigeria lacked a formal policy to prevent victims from being returned to countries where they could face hardship or retaliation.
The report also observed that, unlike in the preceding year, the government did not report transferring any children associated with non-state armed groups during the period under review.
Child recruitment by Boko Haram, ISWAP
The report identified Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as continuing threats to children, alleging that the groups recruit, abduct and exploit children as young as 12.
It said children were used in various roles, including cooking, domestic work, spying, carrying supplies, delivering messages, guarding checkpoints, armed combat and suicide bombing.
The report’s definition of a child soldier includes persons under 18 who directly participate in hostilities, those under 15 voluntarily recruited into armed forces, and persons under 18 recruited by armed groups distinct from state armed forces for support roles or other forms of exploitation.
The designation places Nigeria among countries subject to the CSPA framework, which seeks to discourage the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict through restrictions on specified forms of US assistance.
Labour recruitment and foreign exploitation
The US report also faulted Nigeria’s labour protection framework, saying the government did not prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees or report holding labour recruiters civilly and criminally liable for fraudulent recruitment practices.
It further said labour inspectors did not receive specialised training on child labour and human trafficking, while anti-trafficking training was not provided to Nigerian diplomatic personnel.
The report raised concerns about foreign criminal syndicates allegedly recruiting people to Nigeria under false pretences, confining them in rented properties and forcing them to participate in organised online fraud.
It also cited reports that Nigeria’s Ministry of Education helped promote Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite alleged warning signs.
The programme, based in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, has attracted international scrutiny over recruitment practices involving foreign nationals.
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, while noting that such allegations required further scrutiny.
Baby factories, forced marriage and child labour
The report described so-called baby factories as a widespread criminal operation in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the southern states.
According to the document, traffickers operate some of these facilities under the guise of orphanages, maternity homes or religious centres, where women are allegedly held against their will, sexually abused and forced to become pregnant and deliver babies for sale.
It said Nigerian authorities and non-governmental organisations had identified the practice as a significant trafficking concern.
The report also highlighted the exploitation of children and adults in forced labour, including in granite quarries, artisanal mines, domestic service, street begging, vending, textile production and agriculture.
Traffickers were also reported to exploit adults and children on cocoa farms.
The document further alleged that some corrupt Quranic school teachers exploit boys from rural communities through forced begging and seasonal agricultural work.
In some states, the report said, families allegedly give women and girls into forced marriages to older men to settle debts, a practice commonly referred to as “money marriage”.
Nigeria records increase in investigations and convictions
Despite the concerns, the report acknowledged improvements in Nigeria’s anti-trafficking enforcement efforts.
It said Nigerian authorities investigated 1,341 trafficking cases involving 1,367 suspects in 2025, compared with 744 investigations in 2024.
The government prosecuted 94 suspects and secured 97 convictions during the year, up from 71 prosecutions and 49 convictions in 2024.
According to the report, most convicted traffickers received prison sentences of at least one year.
The government also increased budgetary allocations for victim assistance and prevention programmes.
Funding for victim services rose to N233 million, approximately $161,000, in 2025, from N128 million in the previous year.
Allocations for prevention activities increased to N245 million, approximately $169,000, from N58.8 million in 2024.
The report also noted the establishment of a police cybercrime unit to combat online scam operations and Nigeria’s cooperation with foreign governments and INTERPOL on investigations across West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Victim identification and international cooperation
The government identified 2,004 trafficking victims during the reporting period and coordinated the repatriation of 428 Nigerians exploited abroad, according to the report.
It also continued implementing standard operating procedures and the National Referral Mechanism for identifying and assisting trafficking survivors.
The report said Nigerian authorities secured restitution for 14 victims as part of criminal sentences and maintained an anti-trafficking hotline and public awareness programmes.
In addition, the government continued implementing the 2022–2026 National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, while anti-trafficking task forces operated in 23 states.
Although these measures represented progress, the US assessment indicated that persistent gaps in prosecution of allegedly complicit officials, victim support, labour protections and the prevention of child recruitment remained significant challenges.
The report’s findings place renewed emphasis on the need for stronger accountability, improved protection services and more effective coordination among Nigerian law enforcement agencies, labour regulators, social welfare institutions and international partners.
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