Germany Deports 137 Nigerians In Fresh Immigration Crackdown

Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian nationals through 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 37 Nigerians were among 50 people returned to the country in a joint European deportation operation in March.

A further 24 Nigerians were deported in April, followed by 23 in May and another 26 in June.

The data, contained in reports monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org, point to an increasing use of chartered flights to enforce migration decisions involving Nigerian nationals.

On February 18, 2026, 27 Nigerians arrived at Lagos Cargo Airport following a deportation operation from Germany.

According to Refugees4refugees.org, the flight, operated by World2fly, departed Stuttgart and landed in Lagos shortly before 2pm.

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

It further alleged that some of those deported were dealing with serious health conditions, while others had lived and worked in Germany for several years.

One case highlighted in the report involved a single mother and her three children, who were reportedly deported from the Sindelfingen area of Stuttgart despite possessing documents relating to their residency status.

The family was later said to have returned to Germany after local immigration authorities reportedly determined that their removal had been carried out in error.

Rights Groups Raise Welfare Concerns

The DERS Team alleged that Nigerian government agencies were not present at the airport to receive the deportees upon their arrival in Lagos.

According to the group, some of the returnees were taken away from the airport without receiving adequate assistance.

The February deportation 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.

Migration rights advocates have continued to demand stronger safeguards during deportation exercises, particularly for minors, people with medical conditions and other vulnerable migrants.

On March 10, another 50 people were deported to Nigeria in a joint European operation involving Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium.

Germany was directly responsible for 37 of the deportees.

The operation was described in the 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 deported on a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised with the involvement of Frontex and German authorities.

A further 23 Nigerians were returned to the country in May, while another 26 arrived in Lagos on June 17 following a separate chartered deportation operation.

In total, the five documented operations 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 countries to return migrants whose applications to remain have been rejected or whose legal status no longer permits them to stay.

Migration rights organisations have maintained that deportation enforcement should be accompanied by adequate legal safeguards, welfare support and mechanisms to prevent wrongful removals.

They have also urged authorities to give greater consideration to the circumstances of vulnerable migrants before deportation decisions are implemented.