Germany steps up deportations, repatriates 137 Nigerians

Germany deported at least 137 Nigerians in five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to a report from DERS.

The deportees arrived in Nigeria in five separate operations involving Germany and in some cases, other European countries.

Records from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org showed that 27 Nigerians were deported in February, 37 were among 50 people deported in a joint European Union operation in March, while 24, 23 and 26 Nigerians were deported in April, May and June respectively.

The figures show that Germany and other European countries continued to use chartered flights to return Nigerians whose migration cases had been decided.

On February 18, 2026, 27 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos Cargo Airport after being deported from Germany.

Refugees4refugees.org reported that the flight was operated by World2fly. It left Stuttgart in Germany and arrived in Lagos shortly before 2pm.

Germany was mainly responsible for the operation, while one person who was described as severely ill and mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the 26 others deported from Germany.

The report said Baden-Württemberg was a major participant in the operation. Stuttgart had also hosted the December 2025 deportation flight to Nigeria.

It further alleged that some of the deportees had serious health conditions, while others had lived and worked in Germany for several years.

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One of the cases involved a single mother and her three children who were deported from the Sindelfingen district of Stuttgart despite reportedly having documents relating to their residence status.

The report said the family later returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local foreign authorities confirmed that their deportation had been carried out in error.

The February deportation also took place while Nigeria was preparing 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 returning Nigerians were taken away from the airport without adequate assistance.

On March 10, another 50 people were deported to Nigeria in a joint European Union operation hosted by Germany.

The operation involved Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium. Germany was responsible for 37 of the deportations.

The operation was described as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians in the three years covered by the report.

On April 9, another 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were deported to Nigeria on a chartered flight from Frankfurt. The flight was organised through Frontex and German authorities.

Another 23 Nigerians were returned to Nigeria in May, while 26 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 17 following another chartered deportation flight.

In total, the five operations resulted in the return of 137 Nigerians between February and June 2026.

The figures show the continued use of organised charter flights by European countries to enforce deportation orders involving Nigerians.

Migration rights advocates have called for stronger safeguards during deportation, especially for vulnerable people. They have also stressed the need for proper procedures to prevent people from being wrongly deported.

Factors that contribute to irregular migration include conflict, exploitation, climate-related problems and economic hardship.

Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another, either within a country or across international borders. People may move temporarily or permanently for reasons including work, safety, education and better economic opportunities.