When Guardians Fail: Border Corruption and the Institutionalisation of Child Trafficking along the Nigeria–Benin Corridor

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between corruption and child trafficking along the Nigeria–Benin border. The study places a particular emphasis on how informal governance structures shape border operations and facilitate illicit mobility. The research is grounded in Routine Activity Theory and complemented by political economy perspectives to explain how corruption restructures border enforcement and increases vulnerability to trafficking networks. A qualitative research design was adopted. It draws on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders who are operating within and around the border environment. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Findings reveal that corruption is deeply institutionalised within border governance. This is manifested through routine bribery, informal “shadow pathways”, and a structured ticketing system that commodifies mobility. These practices collectively create a parallel governance system in which access to movement is determined primarily by financial exchange rather than legal entitlement. The study further finds that corruption directly enables child trafficking by weakening enforcement mechanisms and eroding protective guardianship. Socio-economic conditions, including poverty and low institutional remuneration, were also identified as key drivers sustaining both official complicity and community vulnerability. The study concludes that border corruption is not an isolated administrative failure. Rather, it is a structured system of regulated informality that actively shapes mobility and facilitates exploitation. Thus, the study recommends comprehensive institutional reform, improved welfare for border officials, strengthened child protection mechanisms and enhanced regional cooperation between Nigeria and Benin Republic