Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flight operations between February and June 2026, according to figures monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org and reported by The PUNCH. The five operations returned Nigerians in separate batches: 27 in February, 37 as part of a 50-person joint EU operation in March, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June 2026.
February Deportation Raises Concerns Over Vulnerable Cases
According to The PUNCH, the first recorded operation took place on February 18, when 27 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos Cargo Airport aboard a World2fly aircraft that departed Stuttgart. The flight was primarily enforced by Germany, though one person described as severely ill and mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the group. Baden-Württemberg was identified as a major participant, and Stuttgart had also hosted a similar operation in December 2025.
Refugees4refugees.org flagged several concerns about the February operation, including the deportation of a single mother and her three children from the Sindelfingen district in Stuttgart. The family was reportedly removed despite having documentation relating to their residence status. They subsequently returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local foreign authorities confirmed the deportation had been carried out in error.
The deportation 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 noted that no Nigerian government agency sent representatives to receive the returning citizens at the airport, and that the deportees were transported away without adequate support.
March Operation Was Largest in Three Years
On March 10, Germany coordinated the largest single deportation of Nigerians recorded in the three years covered by the report. A joint EU operation carried out in cooperation with Spain, Austria and Belgium returned 50 people to Nigeria, with Germany directly accounting for 37 of those removed.
A further 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were deported on April 9 via a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised through Frontex and German authorities. Two additional batches followed in May and June, bringing the total for the period to 137.
Advocates Demand Safeguards for Vulnerable Individuals
Migration rights advocates have argued that deportation policies must include adequate safeguards for vulnerable individuals and clear procedures to prevent wrongful removal. Underlying factors driving irregular migration from Nigeria and other countries include economic hardship, conflict, climate-related pressures and exploitation.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Saudi Arabia deported 10,827 people in a single week after joint security operations led to the arrest of 14,440 individuals found to be in violation of the country's residency, labour and border laws, the Ministry of Interior announced. According to Gulf News, the arrests took place between July 30 and August 5, during coordinated inspection campaigns carried out by security forces alongside relevant government agencies across the Kingdom.
