US Blacklists Nigeria Over Use of Child Soldiers

The United States Department of State placed Nigeria on the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) blacklist effective October 1, 2026. The designation follows the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which identified Nigeria as one of 14 countries—including Russia, Iran, and South Sudan—that recruit or use child soldiers through armed forces, security forces, or government-supported militias.

This blacklist threatens to cut foreign military financing, international military education and training, and commercial licenses for military equipment sales. These restrictions may be avoided only if President Donald Trump issues a presidential waiver. The determination focuses on child exploitation in conflict zones, particularly in the North-east where Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa operate, though the U.S. did not explicitly establish that the Nigerian military itself recruits children.

The TIP report also maintained Nigeria's Tier 2 status for human trafficking but noted the country failed to meet minimum anti-trafficking standards for the 15th consecutive year. U.S. officials cited significant official corruption, complicity in trafficking crimes, and a collapse in victim assistance, which fell from 2,058 victims in the previous year to 675 in 2025. Additionally, the U.S. alleged that Russian authorities fraudulently recruit Nigerians for the Russia-Ukraine war and criticized the Nigerian Ministry of Education for promoting Russia's Alabuga Start program.