Reports monitored by The PUNCH show that Germany deported no fewer than 137 Nigerian citizens across five documented charter flights between February and June 2026.
Data compiled from reports tracked by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org indicates that the arrivals comprised 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 deported directly by Germany within a 50-person joint European Union exercise in March, as well as 24, 23, and 26 Nigerians sent back in April, May, and June, respectively.
The statistics reveal an increasing reliance on chartered flights for deporting Nigerians from Germany and other European countries, with multiple operations involving joint efforts among EU nations.
On February 18, a batch of 27 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos Cargo Airport following their deportation from Germany.
Refugees4refugees.org reports that World2fly operated the trip, which took off from Stuttgart and arrived in Lagos just before 2:00 pm.
The report noted that Germany spearheaded the operation, though one individual from Slovakia was added to the group of 26 deportees from Germany after being assessed as severely ill and mentally unfit.
It further highlighted that Stuttgart had previously served as the departure point for deportations to Nigeria in December 2025 and February 2026, pointing to Baden-Württemberg as a primary coordinator of the exercise.
The report also noted that several deportees had resided and held jobs in Germany for years, while others suffered from serious health conditions.
According to the DERS Team, Nigerian government agencies sent no official representatives to receive the deportees at the airport, leaving the returnees to leave the facility without adequate assistance.
Backstory…
A joint EU operation organized by Germany, Spain, Austria, and Belgium on March 10 led to the deportation of 50 more individuals to Nigeria.
Data shows that 37 of those deported were directly linked to Germany.
The operation was identified as the largest deportation exercise involving Nigerians over the three-year period tracked in the report.
According to the details, 24 additional Nigerians—among them women and a minor—were returned on April 9 via a chartered flight from Frankfurt coordinated by Frontex and German officials.
While 23 deportees were sent back to Nigeria in May 2026, another 26 Nigerians landed in Lagos on June 17 following another routine chartered deportation flight.
Put together, the five documented batches amounted to 137 Nigerians returned to the country between February and June 2026.
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