Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens in five documented chartered operations between February and June 2026, according to reports monitored by The PUNCH.
The deportations comprised 27 Nigerians in February, 37 in March as part of a 50-person joint European Union operation, and 24, 23 and 26 Nigerians in April, May and June respectively.
The figures were contained in reports monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.
The reports indicated an increasing use of chartered flights by Germany and other European countries to return Nigerians whose deportation orders had been enforced.
On Feb. 18, a batch of 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 Stuttgart before arriving in Lagos shortly before 2 p.m.
The report said the operation was primarily enforced by Germany, while one person described as severely ill and mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the 26 people deported from Germany.
It identified Baden-Württemberg as a major participant in the operation, noting that Stuttgart had also hosted deportation operations to Nigeria in December 2025 and February 2026.
The report further 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 in Stuttgart despite reportedly possessing documents relating to their residence status.
According to the report, the family later returned to Germany following intervention by a volunteer and confirmation from local foreign authorities that the deportation had been carried out in error.
The February operation also coincided with Nigeria’s participation 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 alleged that Nigerian government agencies did not send representatives to receive the deportees at the airport, adding that the returnees were subsequently transported away from the airport without adequate assistance.
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 contained in the reports.
The operation was described as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians in the three years covered by the report.
On April 9, a further 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were deported on a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised through Frontex and German authorities.
Another 23 Nigerians were returned to the country in May, while 26 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 17 following another chartered deportation flight.
Taken together, the five documented operations resulted in the return of 137 Nigerians to the country between February and June 2026.
The figures underscore the continued use of organised charter flights by European authorities in enforcing migration decisions involving Nigerian nationals.
Migration rights advocates have, however, continued to call for adequate safeguards for vulnerable persons and proper procedures to prevent wrongful deportations.
They have also raised concerns about the treatment and reintegration of deportees upon their return to Nigeria.
Experts say conflict, economic inequality, exploitation and climate-related pressures remain among factors that can contribute to irregular migration.
Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another, either temporarily or permanently, within a country or across international borders.
