…Says judicial corruption impedes prosecutions, convictions
By Nkiruka Nnorom
The US Department of State, yesterday, said the Federal Government’s efforts to eliminate human trafficking were being undermined by corruption and official complicity.
According to the report, law enforcement agents, military and other government officials collude with traffickers to facilitate trafficking and interfere with investigation.
The US in its 2025 Trafficking in Person Report, released, yesterday, also alleged that corruption in judiciary had continued to hamper prosecutions and convictions of most crimes, including human trafficking.
The report, which detailed the Federal Government’s efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers, observed that authorities, most times, detained or returned kidnapped victims to their Boko Haram husbands and traffickers, adding that inadequate efforts to identify and protect victims among vulnerable populations had remained a concern.
The report, however, ranked Nigeria among Tier 2 countries, indicating that while the government is making significant efforts to combat trafficking, it does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.
Trafficking Victims Protection Act, TVPA, which set the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking, established the framework for combating human trafficking and set new global standards for how governments can work together to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent the crime.
The report showed that the government provided services to 2,058 trafficking victims, a significant increase from 1,194 in the previous year and allocated more than N128 million ($83,115) for victim protection and assistance in 2024.
Of the 2,058 victims, 812 were women, 768 were girls, 302 were boys, while 176 were men. Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) also identified an additional 163 victims.
The government, according to the report, initiated investigations into 744 cases compared with 698 investigations in 2023. The investigated cases included 293 sex trafficking cases, 203 labour trafficking cases, and 248 cases of unspecified forms of trafficking.
It showed that the government initiated prosecutions of 71 alleged traffickers (33 for sex trafficking, six for labor trafficking, and 32 for unspecified forms of trafficking), compared to 48 prosecutions in 2023, while the courts convicted 49 traffickers (32 for sex trafficking, five for labor trafficking, and 12 for unspecified forms of trafficking) under the 2015 TIPLEAA.
Unlike previous years, the government reported comprehensive sentencing data, while courts issued sentences ranging from one to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The report said: “The government of Nigeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period; therefore, Nigeria remained on Tier 2.”
“These efforts included investigating and prosecuting more trafficking crimes and convicting more traffickers. The government identified and referred more trafficking victims to services and increased funding for victim protection and prevention efforts. The government continued robust awareness-raising efforts, and it partnered with an international organization to publish two comprehensive surveys on child and forced labor.
“However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, especially women and children allegedly associated with non-state armed groups, IDPs, and children exploited in begging and domestic work, were inadequate.
“Due to insufficient screening efforts, the federal and Borno State governments did not take effective measures to prevent the re-victimization or inappropriate penalization of potential victims solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, including among women and girls allegedly associated with Boko Haram.
“Observers reported some law enforcement, military, and other government officials reportedly committed trafficking crimes, accepted bribes to facilitate trafficking, or obstructed justice by interfering with investigations.
‘’Endemic judicial corruption impeded prosecutions and convictions of most crimes, including human trafficking. Observers previously reported some security officers sexually abused and exploited IDPs, including children, in and around Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“In some cases, authorities detained or returned victims to their Boko Haram husbands and traffickers. Corruption involving trafficking crimes, including among law enforcement officials and the judiciary, remained significant concerns and contributed to impunity for traffickers. The quantity and quality of shelter services, especially for men, were insufficient.”
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