US Retains Nigeria on Tier 2 Trafficking List

Post created on 10:36 am

The United States government has retained Nigeria on its Tier 2 watch category in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, citing persistent systemic corruption, official complicity, and widespread failure to prosecute complicit officials.

The annual report, released by the U.S. Department of State covering the period between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, places Nigeria among countries whose governments do not fully satisfy minimum anti-trafficking standards but are making notable efforts to comply.

Additionally, the report listed Nigeria on the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) list alongside 13 other nations, including Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Under the CSPA listing, Nigeria faces potential restrictions on international military education and training, foreign military financing, excess defense articles, peacekeeping operations, and commercial military sales licenses, absent a specific U.S. presidential waiver.

While acknowledging ongoing investigations and prosecutions by Nigerian authorities, the U.S. State Department emphasized that corruption and impunity continue to impede comprehensive law enforcement actions against human trafficking syndicates across the country.