The United States has included Nigeria on its Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) blacklist, a move that could affect military training, arms sales, foreign military financing and other defence cooperation from October 1, 2026, unless President Donald Trump grants a waiver.
The designation was announced in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which identified Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as groups continuing to recruit and deploy children in armed conflicts within Nigeria.
Published on October 11, the report assesses Nigeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. It also placed the country among 14 nations identified by Washington for the recruitment or use of child soldiers, alongside countries including Russia, Iran, Somalia and South Sudan.
Under the CSPA, countries on the list may face restrictions on International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Excess Defence Articles, certain peacekeeping assistance and licences for the commercial sale of military equipment. The restrictions are subject to applicable exceptions or a presidential waiver.
The report stated that the measures would take effect from October 1, 2026, for the designated countries, unless the US president grants an exemption or assistance is reinstated under the law.
The development comes amid ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, including joint counterterrorism efforts and the implementation of a bilateral 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap.
Beyond the child soldiers designation, the report said Nigeria had failed to meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking for the 15th consecutive year, although it acknowledged that the government had sustained some efforts to address the problem.
It raised concerns about the absence of reported investigations, prosecutions or convictions of government officials allegedly involved in trafficking offences, despite persistent allegations of corruption and official complicity.
According to the report, some law enforcement officers, military personnel and other public officials were accused of committing trafficking-related offences, accepting bribes to facilitate exploitation or interfering with investigations.
The assessment also highlighted a decline in the number of trafficking victims who received government-supported assistance. Although 2,004 victims were identified during the reporting period, only 675 received government assistance, compared with 2,058 in the preceding period.
Nigerian authorities reportedly investigated 1,341 trafficking cases, comprising 589 cases of sex trafficking, 301 involving forced labour and 451 cases that were not categorised. The investigations involved 1,367 suspects, while 94 prosecutions were recorded and 97 traffickers convicted.
The US report acknowledged that most convicted traffickers received prison sentences of at least one year. It also noted increased cooperation between Nigerian authorities and foreign governments, including investigations conducted across West Africa and Southeast Asia in partnership with INTERPOL.
However, the report criticised conditions in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). It said restrictions on residents’ movement affected children’s access to education, while access to some protection services depended on victims’ willingness to cooperate with law enforcement.
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 survivors of trafficking.
On the recruitment of child soldiers, the report accused Boko Haram and ISWAP of recruiting, abducting and using children as young as 12 in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
It said the children were deployed as cooks, domestic workers, spies, porters, messengers, guards and armed combatants, while some were forced to participate in suicide bombings. The groups were also accused of subjecting children to physical and sexual abuse and forced drug use.
The report added that women and girls abducted in northern Nigeria were subjected to forced labour, sexual slavery and forced marriage. It further alleged that some girls who resisted forced marriages were compelled to carry out suicide attacks.
It also expressed concern over reports that victims of forced marriage, including trafficking survivors, were sometimes compelled by government authorities to return to their Boko Haram husbands at demobilisation centres in Borno State.
Beyond the insurgency in the North-East, the report identified other forms of exploitation across the country, including the recruitment of children by criminal gangs for kidnappings, robberies and sex trafficking. It also cited cases of forced labour in agriculture and mining, particularly in the North-West.
The assessment raised concerns about labour recruitment practices, stating that Nigeria had not prohibited worker-paid recruitment fees or reported holding labour recruiters criminally and civilly liable for fraudulent recruitment. It also said specialised training on child labour and human trafficking had not been provided to labour inspectors.
The report further alleged that foreign criminal networks had been recruiting people to Nigeria with false promises of employment before confining them in rented properties and forcing them to participate in organised online scams.
It also raised concerns about the alleged recruitment of Nigerians by Russian authorities to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming that the Federal Ministry of Education helped promote Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite warning signs.
Other issues highlighted included possible exploitative working conditions involving North Korean nationals in Nigeria and the continued operation of so-called baby factories, where women are reportedly held against their will, sexually exploited and forced to give birth to children who are subsequently sold.
Despite the concerns, the US acknowledged increased Nigerian government spending on anti-trafficking interventions. Funding for victim services reportedly rose from N128 million to N233 million, while prevention expenditure increased from N58.8 million to N245 million.
The report also credited Nigerian authorities with coordinating the repatriation of 428 citizens exploited abroad, obtaining restitution for 14 victims through criminal sentences and maintaining anti-trafficking task forces in 23 states.
Nigeria serves as a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking. According to the report, the country last attained Tier 1 status in 2011, with its ranking fluctuating between Tier 1, Tier 2 and the Tier 2 Watch List over the years.
Other countries included on the 2026 Child Soldiers Prevention Act list are Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen, among others.
When contacted, NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, said the agency would make its position on the report public.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, did not respond to calls or a text message seeking the Presidency’s reaction.
