The United States Department of State has faulted the Nigerian government for failing to adequately protect victims of Boko Haram terrorism and human trafficking.
In its 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released on Wednesday, the agency said Nigeria did not meet minimum standards in several critical areas, leaving the country on the Tier 2 classification.
The report revealed that vulnerable groups — particularly women and children linked to Boko Haram, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and those forced into begging or domestic servitude — were inadequately identified and protected by authorities.
In some instances, security forces and state officials were accused of detaining victims or even returning women and girls to Boko Haram husbands and traffickers, exposing them to re-victimisation.
Corruption and official complicity were cited as major obstacles, with law enforcement officers and even judiciary personnel allegedly aiding traffickers or obstructing justice through bribery and case mismanagement.
Observers also reported that some security operatives sexually exploited IDPs, including minors, in and around Maiduguri, Borno State, further undermining Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts.
Despite these setbacks, the report acknowledged improvements in prosecution and conviction rates.
In 2024 alone, authorities launched 744 investigations, filed 71 prosecutions, and secured 49 convictions under the Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPLEAA) — more than double the previous year’s figures.
It also noted increased government funding for victim protection programmes, which rose from N50.8 million in 2024 to over N128 million in 2025, as well as enhanced collaboration with NGOs and awareness campaigns.
However, the report concluded that endemic corruption, weak victim screening, and the tendency to treat liberated women and girls as criminals instead of survivors continued to hinder meaningful progress in Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking.