Prosecuting human traffickers in Nigeria: victim-witnessing and community-oriented challenges

Abstract

AbstractThe paper reflects on the limitations of Nigeria’s antitrafficking efforts, as they relate, particularly, to the complexities of victim-witnessing in the prosecution of sex trafficking cases. While much has been written about the institutional and cultural impediments to victim-witnessing in Nigeria or Nigerian-related sex trafficking cases, our work seeks to ask an often underplayed, if not ignored question: Can individuals existing under unjust structures find the impetus to assist the state advance the course of justice? We respond to this question by exploring the interrelationships between political failure, community-oriented trafficking and the moral quandary faced by intercepted victims who see trafficking as a conduit for economic mobility. Utilising Robert Merton’s strain theory, we highlight how the relational dynamics between traffickers and their victims within a community-oriented trafficking context underscore an innovation adjustment to the Mertonian strain. Against this background, we conclude that victim-witnessing is and will remain a challenge for Nigeria’s criminal justice response to trafficking because victims perceive their criminal exploiters as inextricably linked to their material wellbeing.