Germany deports 137 Nigerians in five chartered operations between February and June
Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens in five documented chartered operations between February and June 2026, according to reports sighted by The PUNCH.
The figures show that 27 Nigerians were deported in February, followed by 37 deported directly by Germany as part of a 50-person joint European Union operation in March. A further 24, 23 and 26 Nigerians were deported in April, May and June respectively.
The data was contained in reports monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.
The figures point to an increased reliance on chartered flights to return Nigerians from Germany and other European countries, with some operations involving cooperation among several European states.
On February 18, 2026, 27 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos Cargo Airport following a deportation operation from Germany.
According to Refugees4refugees.org, the flight was operated by World2fly and departed from Stuttgart before arriving in Lagos shortly before 2pm.
The report said Germany was primarily responsible for the operation, while one severely ill person described as mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the 26 people deported from Germany.
Baden-Württemberg was identified as a major participant in the operation, with Stuttgart reportedly hosting both the December 2025 and February 2026 deportation flights to Nigeria.
The report also alleged that some of those deported had serious health conditions, while others had lived and worked in Germany for several years.
It cited the case of a single mother and her three children who were deported from the Sindelfingen district of Stuttgart despite reportedly possessing documents relating to their residence status.
According to the report, the family later returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local foreign authorities confirmed that the deportation had been carried out in error.
The February operation also took place as Nigeria participated in preparations for the Voluntary National Review of the Global Compact for Migration ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum in New York.
The DERS Team said Nigerian government agencies did not send representatives to receive the deportees at the airport. It added that the returnees were subsequently transported away from the airport without adequate assistance.
Joint EU deportation
On March 10, another 50 people were deported to Nigeria in a joint EU operation hosted by Germany in cooperation with Spain, Austria and Belgium.
Germany accounted for 37 of the deportations, according to the figures provided.
The operation was described in the report as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians during the three-year period covered by the data.
On April 9, another 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were deported on a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised through Frontex and German authorities.
A further 23 Nigerians were returned to the country in May, while 26 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 17 following another chartered deportation flight.
Overall, the five documented operations resulted in the return of 137 Nigerians to the country between February and June 2026.
The figures highlight the continued use of organised charter flights by European authorities to enforce migration decisions involving Nigerian citizens.
Migration rights advocates have, however, continued to call for stronger safeguards in deportation procedures, particularly for vulnerable individuals, as well as measures to prevent wrongful removals.
They have argued that deportation processes should take into account the circumstances of individuals facing removal and ensure that all legal and humanitarian protections are observed.
