Nigeria: U.S. Lists Nigeria Among 14 Countries Facing Military Aid Cuts

What the report says

The United States has placed Nigeria on a list of 14 countries that could face cuts to certain military assistance because of concerns tied to the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The designation was cited in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons report, published on October 11, and was reported by Vanguard in Lagos on October 13, 2026.

According to the report, the listing could affect forms of defence cooperation, military training and some weapons sales. It said Nigeria appears on the Child Soldiers Prevention Act list alongside countries including Afghanistan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russia and Yemen. Under that law, some US security assistance and direct commercial sales of military equipment can be restricted unless an exception or waiver applies.

The State Department said Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, continued to recruit, abduct and use children in Nigeria and neighbouring countries. The report described abuses against children and also raised concerns about women and girls in northern Nigeria, as well as forced labour and trafficking linked to criminal groups in other parts of the country.

Beyond the child-soldier issue, the report said Nigeria had not met minimum standards for eliminating trafficking for the 15th year in a row, though it noted some government progress in funding and victim support. It also said official complicity and corruption remained major concerns, while reporting no investigations or convictions of public officials allegedly involved in trafficking during the review period.