The United States Department of State has accused the Nigerian government of returning rescued female victims who were abducted and married by Boko Haram terrorists and human traffickers to their terrorist husbands.
In its 2025 report on trafficking in persons published on its website on Wednesday, the US agency stated that Nigerian authorities and the Borno State government returned the rescued victims to their husbands after they repented from insurgency and handed themselves over for rehabilitation.
The report also stated that the Nigerian government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas in its fight against trafficking in persons, which means that the country remains on Tier 2 classification.
“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,” the agency reports said.
According to the report due to insufficient screening efforts, the Nigerian government and Borno State government 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.
“In some cases, authorities detained or returned victims to their Boko Haram husbands and traffickers.
“Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes, including among designated officials with responsibilities to combat human trafficking, remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action and perpetuating impunity for trafficking crimes.
“Endemic judicial corruption impeded prosecutions and convictions of most crimes, including human trafficking.
“The High Courts had jurisdiction over trafficking cases; however, in practice, cases were sometimes tried in state courts, which heard lower-level or misdemeanor crimes.
“Local judges did not have the same standardized training requirements as federal and state judges, which contributed to corruption and misapplication of the law.
‘Illegal activities of non-state armed groups hindered law enforcement efforts, especially in northern Nigeria,” the report said.
The report also revealed that corruption involving trafficking crimes, including among law enforcement officials and the judiciary, remained a significant concern and contributed to impunity for human traffickers in Nigeria.
According to the report, during the year under review, observers reported that some security officers sexually abused and exploited internally displaced persons (IDPs), including children, in and around Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
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