The United States has placed Nigeria on its Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) blacklist, a move that could restrict military assistance, weapons sales and defence cooperation from October 1, 2026, unless President Donald Trump grants a waiver.
The designation was contained in the US Department of State’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which identified Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as armed groups that continue to recruit, abduct and use children in Nigeria.
Published on October 11, the report assessed Nigeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. It also raised concerns about official corruption, the prosecution of trafficking-related offences and the protection of victims.
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Nigeria was listed among 14 countries identified under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act. Other countries on the list include Russia, Iran, Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Under US law, countries designated under the Act may face restrictions on certain forms of security assistance and the commercial licensing of military equipment.
The measures cover International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Excess Defence Articles and certain peacekeeping assistance.
The report stated that the restrictions would take effect from October 1, 2026, subject to a presidential waiver, an applicable exception or the reinstatement of assistance under the law.
It stated, “Governments identified on the list are subject to restrictions, in the following fiscal year, on certain security assistance and commercial licensing of military equipment.”
The report also noted that the law prohibits licences for direct commercial sales of military equipment to designated governments, although certain exceptions may apply.
The development comes amid ongoing security cooperation between Washington and Abuja as both countries continue efforts to tackle terrorism and other security threats.
Any restrictions on military assistance could complicate their defence relationship, depending on the programmes affected and whether the US president grants an exemption.
The report identified Boko Haram and ISWAP as groups responsible for recruiting and using children in armed activities, with some victims reportedly as young as 12.
According to the document, children are forced into various roles, including cooking, domestic work, spying, carrying messages, guarding checkpoints and participating in combat operations.
It stated, “Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa continue recruiting, abducting, and using—including through force, fraud, and coercion—child soldiers as young as 12 years old as cooks, domestic workers, spies, porters, messengers, bodyguards or guards at checkpoints, ‘morality police,’ armed combatants, and suicide bombers in attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger; these children are subjected to physical and sexual abuse and forced drug use.”
The report further alleged that the armed groups continue to abduct women and girls, subjecting many to forced labour, forced marriage and sexual slavery.
It added that some girls were punished for refusing marriage by being forced to carry out suicide attacks.
The document also raised concerns about the treatment of victims after their release from captivity.
It alleged that, in some cases, government authorities compelled victims of forced marriage to return to their Boko Haram husbands through demobilisation centres in Borno State.
Beyond insurgent activities, the report highlighted the involvement of criminal gangs in trafficking and the exploitation of children.
It said some gangs in southern Nigeria recruit children for forced criminal activities, including kidnapping and robbery, while also exploiting them in sex trafficking.
In northwestern Nigeria, criminal networks were reported to exploit victims through forced labour in agriculture and mining.
The report assessed Nigeria’s broader efforts to combat human trafficking, stating that the country had failed to meet the US government’s minimum standards for eliminating trafficking for the 15th consecutive year, despite acknowledging some efforts by Nigerian authorities.
One of the major concerns was the absence of reported investigations, prosecutions or convictions involving government officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes.
“The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes or provide details or other actions taken against complicit officials from previous years,” the report stated.
It added that “corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns.”
The report further noted that “observers reported some law enforcement, military, and other government officials reportedly committed trafficking crimes, accepted bribes to facilitate trafficking, or obstructed justice by interfering with investigations.”
These findings raised concerns about accountability within public institutions and the enforcement of existing anti-trafficking laws.
During the reporting period, Nigerian authorities investigated 1,341 trafficking cases, including 589 involving sex trafficking, 301 related to forced labour and 451 that were not classified by specific category. The investigations involved 1,367 suspects.
However, the report recorded 94 prosecutions and 97 convictions during the period.
It acknowledged that most convicted traffickers received prison sentences of at least one year. It also noted increased cooperation between Nigerian authorities and foreign governments on international trafficking investigations.
According to the report, such cooperation supported operations across West Africa and Southeast Asia, including activities conducted in partnership with INTERPOL.
The number of trafficking victims identified during the period also remained a concern.
Authorities identified 2,004 victims, comprising 893 victims of sex trafficking and 1,111 victims of forced labour.
However, only 675 received government-supported assistance during the reporting period, compared with 2,058 in the previous year.
The report also criticised conditions in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
It said the agency’s closed-shelter policy restricted residents’ freedom of movement and affected children’s access to education.
According to the document, “residents were not allowed freedom of movement, including children’s access to school.”
It also noted that “access to some protection services was tied to victims’ willingness to cooperate with law enforcement proceedings.”
The report added that adult victims who declined shelter accommodation were not offered alternative services. It further observed that only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter was available for adult male trafficking survivors.
These concerns highlighted continuing challenges in providing protection to victims, particularly those unwilling or unable to participate in criminal proceedings against their traffickers.
Despite its criticisms, the report acknowledged increased Nigerian government spending on anti-trafficking activities.
Funding for victim services rose from N128 million to N233 million, while spending on prevention increased from N58.8 million to N245 million.
The government also coordinated the repatriation of 428 Nigerians who had been exploited abroad, secured restitution for 14 victims as part of criminal sentences and maintained anti-trafficking task forces in 23 states.
However, the report identified gaps in labour protection and the regulation of recruitment practices.
It stated that the government had not prohibited worker-paid recruitment fees, reported holding labour recruiters liable for fraudulent recruitment through civil and criminal proceedings, or provided specialised training on child labour and human trafficking to labour inspectors.
It also noted that the government had not provided anti-trafficking training to its diplomatic personnel.
The report raised concerns about international criminal networks allegedly using Nigeria as a base for organised online fraud.
It stated that “highly organised foreign criminal syndicates fraudulently recruit foreigners to Nigeria with promises of employment, confine them in leased properties and compel them to participate in organised online scams.”
The document also alleged that Russian authorities fraudulently recruited Nigerians to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Furthermore, it claimed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Education helped promote Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite warning signs.
The report also raised concerns about possible forced labour involving North Korean nationals working in Nigeria.
Another issue highlighted was the continued operation of so-called baby factories, criminal enterprises disguised as orphanages, maternity homes or religious centres.
According to the report, women held in these facilities are sometimes sexually abused and forced to give birth to children who are subsequently sold.
The operations were described as a documented feature of Nigeria’s human trafficking problem, particularly in the southern part of the country.
The US government identified Nigeria as a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking.
Nigeria’s ranking in the annual TIP Report has fluctuated between Tier 1, Tier 2 and the Tier 2 Watch List. The country last attained Tier 1 status in 2011.
The CSPA designation is separate from Nigeria’s broader trafficking ranking, although both assessments reflect concerns about the country’s efforts to prevent exploitation and protect vulnerable people.
When contacted for comments, NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, said the agency would make its response to the report public.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, did not respond to calls to his mobile telephone or a text message seeking the Presidency’s reaction.
The implications of the blacklist will depend partly on the scope of any restrictions imposed and whether the US administration grants Nigeria a waiver.
Without an applicable exemption, Nigeria could face limitations on certain military training programmes, financing arrangements, equipment transfers and commercial defence sales.
