Nigeria News Today: U.S. Report Reveals Borno Govt Returned Trafficking Victims to Boko Haram Husbands
By Safiyat Muhammed | The Bureau News
A 2025 U.S. Department of State report on trafficking in persons has alleged that both the Nigerian government and the Borno State government returned trafficking victims to their Boko Haram husbands and in some cases to their traffickers, raising serious human rights concerns.
The report, released in Washington, maintained that Nigeria continues to fall short of the minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, leaving the country on the U.S. Tier 2 classification list. It cited corruption, weak victim protection mechanisms, and official complicity as major obstacles to progress.
Alarming Findings
The report stated: “Efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, especially women and children associated with non-state armed groups, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and children exploited in begging and domestic work, were inadequate.”
It added that due to poor screening, some women and girls were detained or returned to Boko Haram husbands and traffickers instead of being rehabilitated. In addition, law enforcement and judiciary corruption created impunity for traffickers.
Corruption and Official Complicity
The U.S. report flagged “endemic judicial corruption” that undermined prosecutions, noting that some law enforcement and military officers were directly involved in trafficking crimes, took bribes, or obstructed justice. Observers also reported cases of sexual abuse of IDPs by security officers in Maiduguri and other conflict areas.
Although the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) had previously dismissed staff members for complicity, the report said no prosecutions were pursued against those officials, highlighting a gap in accountability.
Prosecution Gaps
Within the review period, only one official of the Nigerian Immigration Service was prosecuted for sex trafficking. Meanwhile, a Civilian Joint Task Force member accused of trafficking crimes still has a pending case.
The report concluded that despite high-profile commitments, Nigeria’s anti-trafficking measures remained weakened by corruption, poor shelter services for victims, and systemic gaps in law enforcement.
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