Remediating Victims of Human Trafficking under the Nigerian Legal Regime: Beyond Legal Rhetoric to Adequate Legal Protection

Human trafficking is a pervasive issue in Nigeria, with many persons, especially women and children being exploited and trafficked within and outside Nigeria. In spite of the existing legal frameworks aimed at curbing human trafficking, victims usually encounter several challenges in accessing adequate legal protection and victims are sometimes denied effective remediation under the Nigerian laws. This article examines the Nigerian legal regime’s response to human trafficking with emphasis on remediating victims of this serious crime. It contends that while the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 and other extant laws provide mechanisms for curtailing human trafficking, the remediation and protection of victims of human trafficking in Nigeria is still inadequate and ineffective. This paper adopts a doctrinal and comparative research methodology in its discourse. It also stresses the importance of evolving a more holistic perspective to remediating victims of human trafficking which should go beyond legal rhetoric and concentrate more on providing adequate legal protection, support, reformation, reintegration, rehabilitation and economic empowerment for victims of human trafficking in Nigeria. This paper examines how South Africa and Kenya remediate victims of human trafficking. Nigeria can draw useful lessons from the approaches in these jurisdictions. The paper recommends invigorating the institutional legal framework for curtailing human trafficking by providing victims with an all-inclusive remediation services which prioritises adequate legal protection for the victim of human trafficking under Nigerian laws.