Germany Deports 137 Nigerians in Five Operations Between February and June 2026

At least 137 Nigerian citizens were returned to the country from Germany between February and June 2026 in five documented deportation operations, according to figures compiled by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.

The returns included 27 Nigerians in February, 37 in March, 24 in April, 23 in May and another 26 in June.

Several of the operations involved chartered flights and cooperation between Germany and other European countries, highlighting the growing use of coordinated deportation arrangements.

The March operation recorded the highest number of Nigerians returned in a single flight during the period. A total of 50 people were deported to Nigeria in the EU-backed operation, with Germany accounting for 37 of them. Spain, Austria and Belgium also participated.

The February operation involved 27 Nigerians arriving at Lagos Cargo Airport aboard a World2fly flight from Stuttgart. One person, reportedly transferred from Slovakia because of serious health and mental health concerns, was among those returned.

The reports also raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding some deportations. One case involved a mother and her three children from the Sindelfingen district, who were reportedly removed from Germany despite having residency-related documents. The family later returned after a volunteer intervened and local authorities confirmed the deportation had been made in error.

Further chartered returns followed in April, May and June, including an April operation organised by Frontex with German authorities that returned 24 Nigerians.