The United States has placed Nigeria on its Child Soldiers Prevention Act blacklist, a designation that could trigger restrictions on certain military assistance, arms sales and defence cooperation unless President Donald Trump grants a waiver.
The designation was disclosed in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, which accused armed groups operating in Nigeria of recruiting and using children in their activities.
According to the report, Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP recruit, abduct and deploy children for various roles, including combatants, spies, porters, messengers and guards. Some of the children were reportedly as young as 12.
Under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, countries identified for recruiting or using child soldiers may face restrictions on international military education and training, foreign military financing, excess defence equipment and certain commercial licences for military equipment.
The report stated that the restrictions would take effect from October 2026 for the relevant fiscal year, subject to presidential waivers and other applicable legal exceptions.
The development comes amid ongoing security cooperation between Washington and Abuja, particularly efforts to combat extremist groups and contain insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
Beyond the child soldiers designation, the State Department criticised Nigeria’s broader efforts to combat human trafficking, stating that the country had failed to meet the minimum standards for eliminating the crime for the 15th consecutive year.
According to the report, Nigerian authorities investigated 1,341 trafficking cases during the reporting period, resulting in 94 prosecutions and 97 convictions.
It added that authorities identified 2,004 trafficking victims, of whom 675 received government-supported assistance.
The report also raised concerns about alleged corruption and official complicity in human trafficking, noting that the Nigerian government had not reported investigations, prosecutions or convictions of officials allegedly involved in such crimes.
However, it acknowledged some progress, including increased government funding for victim support services and prevention programmes, cooperation with foreign governments on trafficking investigations, and the repatriation of Nigerians exploited abroad.
Nigeria has previously appeared on the Child Soldiers Prevention Act list between 2015 and 2018 and again from 2020 to 2021. Meanwhile, previous US administrations granted waivers that allowed military assistance and arms sales to continue.
