Corrupt judicial and immigration officials in Nigeria are helping human traffickers in the country to act with impunity. This is the conclusion of the United States government in its latest report titled ‘2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Nigeria’.
“The government of Nigeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so…Corruption remained a significant concern in the judiciary and immigration services, and it contributed to impunity for traffickers…,” the latest U.S. trafficking report stated.
The U.S. government noted that corruption and complicity continued to contribute to impunity for trafficking offences in Nigeria despite the government’s efforts to improve law enforcement.
The report, which the U.S. Department of State released on Thursday, stated that while the Nigerian government demonstrated overall increased efforts to combat trafficking compared to the previous reporting period, it failed to fully meet the minimum standards for trafficking elimination in the country.
The report also stated that corruption remained a major issue in the judicial and immigration agencies, contributing to traffickers’ impunity and accused the Nigerian government of failing to 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.
“Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action and perpetuating impunity for trafficking crimes,” stated the report. “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 Defence Corps.”
It added, “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.”
The U.S. government also mentioned that the lack of proper training of some local judges, compared to the federal and state judges, contributed to the corruption and misapplication of relevant trafficking laws.
Courtesy of thenigerialawyer.com