The United States has placed Nigeria on its child soldiers blacklist, a move that could restrict military assistance, weapons sales and defence cooperation unless President Donald Trump grants a waiver.
The designation was contained in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, published on October 11, which identified Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as groups recruiting and using children in armed conflict in Nigeria.
According to the report, the restrictions under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act could affect International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Excess Defence Articles, some peacekeeping assistance and licences for commercial sales of military equipment. The measures are scheduled to apply from October 1, 2026, subject to a presidential waiver or other applicable exceptions.
Nigeria was listed alongside countries including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Russia, Iran, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen over concerns about the recruitment or use of child soldiers.
The report said Boko Haram and ISWAP continued to recruit, abduct and use children as young as 12 as cooks, domestic workers, spies, porters, messengers, guards and combatants, including suicide bombers. It also alleged that children were subjected to physical and sexual abuse and forced drug use.
The groups were further accused of abducting women and girls in northern Nigeria and exploiting them through forced labour, forced marriage and sexual slavery.
The development comes amid continued security cooperation between Nigeria and the US, including joint counter-terrorism operations in the North-East and a bilateral 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap.
Beyond child recruitment, the report criticised Nigeria’s wider efforts to combat human trafficking, saying the country had failed to meet the US government’s minimum standards for eliminating trafficking for the 15th consecutive year.
It expressed concern that no government official was reported to have been prosecuted for alleged complicity in trafficking crimes during the period under review, despite reports of corruption and official interference in investigations.
“Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns,” the report stated.
It added that some law enforcement, military and other government officials were reportedly involved in trafficking offences, accepted bribes to facilitate the crimes or obstructed investigations.
The report said Nigerian authorities investigated 1,341 trafficking cases involving 1,367 suspects. The cases comprised 589 sex trafficking investigations, 301 involving forced labour and 451 in which the type of trafficking was unspecified.
Of the suspects, 94 were prosecuted, while 97 traffickers were convicted. The US noted that most convicted offenders received prison sentences of at least one year and acknowledged increased cooperation between Nigerian authorities and foreign governments on international trafficking investigations.
However, the number of trafficking victims receiving government-supported assistance fell sharply to 675 from 2,058 in the previous reporting period.
Although 2,004 people were identified as trafficking victims during the period, comprising 893 victims of sex trafficking and 1,111 of forced labour, the report said only 675 received government-supported assistance.
It also raised concerns about conditions in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), including restrictions on residents’ freedom of movement and children’s access to school. The report said access to some protection services was linked to victims’ willingness to cooperate with law enforcement proceedings.
It further noted that adult victims who declined shelter accommodation were not offered alternative services and that only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter was available for adult male trafficking survivors.
On labour trafficking, the report faulted the government for failing to prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees, adequately hold labour recruiters accountable for fraudulent recruitment and provide specialised training on child labour and human trafficking to labour inspectors. It also said anti-trafficking training was not provided to Nigerian diplomatic personnel.
The report highlighted other forms of exploitation, including the recruitment of foreigners into Nigeria under false employment promises before they were confined and forced to participate in online scams. It also raised concerns about alleged fraudulent recruitment of Nigerians to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, the promotion of Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite warning signs, and possible forced labour involving North Korean nationals working in Nigeria.
Baby factories, described as criminal operations disguised as orphanages, maternity homes or religious centres, were also identified as a feature of the country’s trafficking problem, particularly in the southern region.
Despite the criticism, the US acknowledged increased Nigerian government spending on anti-trafficking efforts. Funding for victim services rose from N128m to N233m, while prevention spending increased from N58.8m to N245m.
The report also noted that Nigeria coordinated the repatriation of 428 citizens exploited abroad, secured restitution for 14 victims through criminal sentences and maintained anti-trafficking task forces in 23 states.
Nigeria serves as a source, transit and destination country for trafficking victims. According to the report, it last attained the top Tier 1 ranking in 2011, with its status fluctuating between Tier 1, Tier 2 and the Tier 2 Watch List since then.
The potential restrictions could affect Nigeria’s access to US military training, financing, equipment and other security assistance at a time when both countries are pursuing cooperation against armed groups and other security threats.
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