US Report Flags Baby Factories, Child Soldiers, Human Trafficking in Nigeria
The United States has raised fresh concerns about human trafficking in Nigeria, citing alleged official complicity, baby factories, forced labour and the recruitment of children into armed groups.
The concerns were contained in the US Department of State’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which covers developments between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
The report retained Nigeria on Tier 2, indicating that the country has not fully met the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but is making significant efforts to address the problem.
However, Nigeria was also included among 14 countries listed under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) for the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Other countries on the list include Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen.
The US government said the designation could result in restrictions on certain forms of military assistance and cooperation from October 1, 2026, unless a presidential waiver is granted.
US Raises Concerns Over Government Officials
The report identified corruption and alleged official complicity as major obstacles to Nigeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking.
It stated that the Nigerian government did not report any investigations, prosecutions or convictions of public officials allegedly involved in trafficking crimes during the reporting period.
The US government also said Nigeria failed to provide details of actions taken against officials suspected of involvement in trafficking in previous years.
Another concern raised was the alleged coercion of trafficking victims and survivors of forced marriage into returning to their Boko Haram husbands at demobilisation centres in Borno State.
The report also criticised the country’s victim protection system, noting that the number of trafficking victims who received assistance dropped significantly.
According to the document, 675 victims received assistance in 2025, compared with 2,058 in 2024.
It said services for male victims remained particularly limited, with only one dedicated NGO shelter for adult male victims reported during the period.
The report further alleged that NAPTIP shelters restricted residents’ freedom of movement and that some victims had to cooperate with law enforcement proceedings before accessing certain protection services.
It added that the government did not provide services to adult victims who refused shelter accommodation and lacked a formal policy to prevent victims from being returned to countries where they could face hardship or retaliation.
Boko Haram, ISWAP Accused of Using Children
The report identified Boko Haram and ISWAP as groups continuing to recruit, abduct and use children in armed conflict.
It alleged that children as young as 12 were used in various roles, including cooking, domestic work, spying, carrying supplies, delivering messages, guarding checkpoints and participating in combat.
According to the report, some children were also allegedly used as suicide bombers.
The US government additionally criticised Nigeria’s labour protection measures, stating that authorities had not prohibited worker-paid recruitment fees or reported holding labour recruiters accountable through civil and criminal proceedings for fraudulent recruitment.
The report also said labour inspectors lacked specialised training on child labour and human trafficking, while Nigerian diplomatic personnel had not received anti-trafficking training.
Baby Factories and Forced Marriages
The report described baby factories as a widespread criminal activity in Nigeria, particularly in the southern region.
It alleged that operators disguise such facilities as orphanages, maternity homes and religious centres, where women are held against their will, sexually abused and forced to give birth to children who are subsequently sold.
The document also identified several sectors where traffickers allegedly exploit adults and children through forced labour and sexual exploitation.
These include domestic work, begging, street vending, textile manufacturing, agriculture, granite quarries and artisanal mining.
The report said some adults and children were exploited on cocoa farms, while boys from rural communities were allegedly forced by some corrupt Quranic school teachers to beg or work in seasonal agriculture.
It also raised concerns about money marriages in some states, where families allegedly give women and girls into forced marriages with older men to repay debts.
Foreign Criminal Networks and Recruitment Concerns
The US government also warned about foreign criminal syndicates that allegedly lure victims to Nigeria with false employment offers, confine them in rented properties and force them to participate in online scams.
The report further claimed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Education helped promote Russia’s Alabuga Start programme despite warning signs.
It alleged that Russian authorities fraudulently recruited Nigerians to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Concerns were also raised about possible forced labour involving North Korean and Chinese nationals working in Nigeria.
Nigeria Records More Investigations and Convictions
Despite the concerns, the report acknowledged that Nigeria made progress in investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases.
The government investigated 1,341 cases involving 1,367 suspects in 2025, compared with 744 cases in 2024.
It also prosecuted 94 suspects and secured 97 convictions, representing an increase from 71 prosecutions and 49 convictions recorded in the previous year.
The report noted that most convicted traffickers were sentenced to at least one year in prison.
It further said funding for victim assistance increased to ₦233 million in 2025 from ₦128 million in 2024.
Government spending on prevention also rose to ₦245 million from ₦58.8 million during the same period.
Other achievements included the establishment of a police cybercrime unit to tackle online scams, cooperation with foreign governments and INTERPOL, and the identification of 2,004 trafficking victims.
The government also coordinated the return of 428 Nigerians exploited abroad and provided restitution for 14 victims through criminal sentences.
According to the report, Nigeria continued implementing its 2022–2026 National Action Plan, operating a trafficking hotline, conducting public awareness campaigns and maintaining anti-trafficking task forces in 23 states.
The US decision to retain Nigeria on Tier 2 therefore reflects a combination of increased enforcement efforts and continuing concerns about victim protection, official accountability and the recruitment and exploitation of children.
