Germany Deports 137 Nigerians In Fresh Immigration Crackdown

Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens in five documented chartered operations between February and June 2026, according to reports monitored by migration advocacy groups.

The figures indicate that 27 Nigerians were deported in February, while Germany directly accounted for 37 Nigerians returned during a joint European operation involving 50 deportees in March. A further 24 Nigerians were deported in April, followed by 23 in May and 26 in June.

The data, contained in reports monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org, point to increased reliance on chartered flights by European authorities in enforcing migration decisions involving Nigerian citizens.

On February 18, 2026, 27 Nigerians arrived at Lagos Cargo Airport following a deportation operation from Germany. The flight, operated by World2fly, reportedly departed Stuttgart and landed in Lagos shortly before 2pm.

Reports indicated that 26 of the deportees were removed directly from Germany, while another person was transferred from Slovakia to join the flight.

Some of those deported were reportedly dealing with serious health conditions, while others had lived and worked in Germany for several years. One case involved a single mother and her three children who were reportedly deported from the Sindelfingen area of Stuttgart despite possessing documents relating to their residence status.

The family was later said to have returned to Germany after local immigration authorities reportedly acknowledged that the deportation had been carried out in error.

Migration advocacy groups also raised concerns about the welfare of some returnees following the February operation. The DERS Team alleged that Nigerian government agencies were not available to receive the deportees upon their arrival in Lagos, with some returnees reportedly transported away from the airport without adequate support.

The February deportation occurred around the period Nigeria was participating in preparations for the Voluntary National Review of the Global Compact for Migration ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum in New York.

Migration rights advocates have continued to call for stronger safeguards during deportation exercises, particularly in cases involving children, people with medical conditions and other vulnerable migrants.

On March 10, another 50 people were deported to Nigeria in a joint European operation coordinated by Germany alongside Spain, Austria and Belgium. Germany accounted directly for 37 of those returned.

The operation was described in the monitored reports as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians during the three-year period under review.

On April 9, another 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were returned on a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised with the involvement of Frontex and German authorities.

A further 23 Nigerians were deported in May, while another 26 arrived in Lagos on June 17 following a separate chartered operation.

Taken together, the five documented flights brought the number of Nigerians deported between February and June 2026 to at least 137.

The figures highlight the continued use of coordinated charter flights by European authorities to return migrants whose applications to remain have been rejected or whose legal status no longer permits them to stay.

Migration rights organisations have urged authorities to ensure that deportation decisions are accompanied by adequate legal safeguards, welfare assistance and procedures capable of preventing wrongful removals.

They have also called for greater consideration of the circumstances of vulnerable migrants before deportation orders are executed.