By NewsBits
The report published on the US Department of State website noted that the Nigerian government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, including investigating more traffickers, including officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes, and increasing prosecutions and convictions; identifying more victims and referring all identified victims to care and finalizing and implementing the handover protocol to refer child soldiers, including some trafficking victims, to care.
The 2023 trafficking in-person report by the US Department of State has stated that the Nigerian government failed to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.
The report published on the US Department of State website noted that the Nigerian government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, including investigating more traffickers, including officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes, and increasing prosecutions and convictions; identifying more victims and referring all identified victims to care and finalizing and implementing the handover protocol to refer child soldiers, including some trafficking victims, to care.
It added that the government updated its national referral mechanism (NRM) to include guidance on assisting persons with disabilities and adopted a disability inclusion plan to better serve trafficking victims.
“However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Corruption remained a significant concern in the judiciary and immigration services, and it contributed to impunity for traffickers.
“The government did not investigate or prosecute any members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) for prior forced recruitment or use of child soldiers; potential sex trafficking in government-run IDP camps continued.”
The report further stated, “Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action and perpetuating impunity for trafficking crimes.
“The government reported investigating two officials for involvement in trafficking crimes – a member of the National Immigration Service and a member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps.
“The government reported one investigation of sexual exploitation by a government official initiated during the previous reporting period was settled out of court, and two other investigations initiated in the previous reporting period against members of the CJTF for alleged sex trafficking of IDPs are awaiting trial.
“Local judges did not have the same standardized training requirements as federal and state judges, which contributed to corruption and misapplication of the law. Some judges were unfamiliar with the anti-trafficking law, which hindered the government’s ability to hold traffickers accountable.
“Despite numerous previous allegations, the government did not report investigating any CJTF members for child soldiering recruitment or use.”
It also said, “The government-initiated investigations into 1,242 cases, including 511 sex trafficking cases, 282 labor trafficking cases, and 449 cases of unspecified forms of trafficking.
“This compared with initiating investigations into 852 cases during the previous reporting period. The government-initiated prosecutions of 78 suspects, including 67 suspects for sex trafficking and 11 suspects for labor trafficking, and continued prosecuting 35 suspects for unspecified forms of trafficking from previous reporting periods.
“This compared with prosecuting 30 suspects in the previous reporting period. The government convicted 97 individuals, 50 for sex trafficking, six for labor trafficking, and 41 for unspecified forms of trafficking.
“This compared with convicting 13 individuals in the previous reporting period. Of those convicted, 94 were convicted under the 2015 TIPLEAA and three were convicted under violence against persons laws.
“The government did not report comprehensive sentencing data, but according to media reports, sentences ranged from one to 21 years’ imprisonment. Government data may have included crimes outside the international definition of trafficking.”
