Nigeria: U.S. Places Nigeria Among Countries Allowing Recruitment of Child Soldiers

What the report says

The United States has added Nigeria to its 2026 Child Soldiers Prevention Act list, placing the country among governments identified in the State Department’s trafficking report as having armed forces, security services, or government-backed groups that recruit or use child soldiers. The designation could limit certain forms of U.S. military assistance and restrict some commercial licences for defense equipment, unless a waiver or exception is granted.

According to the report, the list covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and includes 14 countries. The restrictions can affect training programs, military financing, excess defense articles, and some direct sales of equipment. The State Department said its findings rely on a range of sources, including U.S. personnel, United Nations agencies, civil society groups, and media reporting.

Premium Times reported that Nigeria’s inclusion increases pressure on the government to respond to concerns about child recruitment and to show compliance with international protections for children in armed conflict. The article also noted that the designation does not itself mean the Nigerian military or security forces have been found to recruit child soldiers. In general background, child soldier designations often draw scrutiny because of their impact on security cooperation and because they can reflect wider conflict-related abuses affecting children, especially in northeast Nigeria.