US places Nigeria on child soldiers blacklist, putting military assistance at risk ‎

The United States has put Nigeria on its Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) list, a designation that could cut military assistance unless President Donald Trump issues a waiver. The Punch reported the story in its Tuesday edition.

What the US said
The listing appears in a State Department report published on 11 October, obtained by The Punch on Monday. It covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and is the latest US assessment of Nigeria's anti-trafficking performance.

The report cited the continued recruitment and use of children by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Nigeria joins 13 other countries on the list, including Russia, Iran, Somalia and South Sudan, and the report said it had failed minimum anti-trafficking standards for 15 consecutive years.

What is at stake
Under US law the listing could restrict International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Excess Defence Articles, peacekeeping assistance, and licences for direct commercial sales of military equipment. The restrictions take effect from 1 October, subject to a presidential waiver.

The report gives no explanation for that date, which is already past, so it is worth confirming with the State Department or the Nigerian authorities how and when the restrictions apply.

The waiver question
Waivers have been used for Nigeria before. In 2021, President Joe Biden waived the CSPA prohibition for Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, certifying that their governments were taking effective and continuing steps to address the problem. The current decision rests with Trump.

Cooperation continues
The listing comes amid close security ties. The Trump administration has deployed Navy SEAL Team 6 alongside Nigerian forces for joint counterterrorism operations in the northeast and formalised a 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap. The US also acknowledged that Nigeria raised its spending, with victim service funding rising from N128m to N233m and prevention spending from N58.8m to N245m.

Nigeria's response
NAPTIP's head of press, Vincent Adekoye, said the agency would make its response to the report public. I found no response yet from the Presidency or the Defence Headquarters.

Analysis angle
The listing blames Boko Haram and ISWAP, not the Nigerian state, for child recruitment, yet the penalties fall on Nigeria's own military partnership. The key question is whether Washington waives the restrictions to protect counterterrorism cooperation in the northeast, as it did in 2021.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880

Sources
The Punch, "Child soldier: US threatens to cut military aid to Nigeria": https://parrotnigeria.com/2026/10/13/child-soldier-us-threatens-to-cut-military-aid-to-nigeria/ (republished copy; original at punchng.com)

NaijaNews, "US Blacklists Nigeria Over Child Soldiers, Threatens To Cut Military Support": https://www.naijanews.com/2026/10/13/us-nigeria-child-soldiers-military-support/

YNaija, "Top 5 Stories Of The Day": https://ynaija.com/top-5-stories-of-the-day-us-blacklists-nigeria-over-child-soldiers-risking-military-aid-cuts/

Megastar Magazine, "US Disagrees With Nigeria On Child Soldier": https://www.megastarmagazine.com/news/us-disagrees-with-nigeria-on-child-soldier-threatens-withdrawal-of-military-aid/

White House memorandum on the CSPA determination, 8 October 2021, via GlobalSecurity.org: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2021/10/mil-211008-whitehouse01.htm