At least 137 Nigerians were deported from Germany to Nigeria in five documented charter flights between February and June 2026, according to reports attributed to the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.
The deportations were conducted in separate operations, with some flights organised solely by Germany and others carried out through coordinated arrangements involving several European countries.
According to figures reported by Leadership, 27 Nigerians were returned in February, followed by 37 Nigerians deported by Germany in March as part of a 50-person joint European operation. A further 24 Nigerians were deported in April, while 23 and 26 others were returned in May and June respectively.
The first documented operation took place in February, when 27 Nigerians arrived at Lagos Cargo Airport on February 18 after being deported from Germany.
Refugees4refugees.org reported that the chartered flight was operated by World2fly and departed from Stuttgart before arriving in Lagos shortly before 2pm.
Germany was reportedly the main country responsible for the operation, although one severely ill person described in the report as mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia and included on the flight alongside 26 people deported from Germany.
Baden-Württemberg was identified as a significant participant in the operation, with Stuttgart reportedly serving as the departure point for the February flight and an earlier deportation operation in December 2025.
The report also raised concerns over the circumstances surrounding some of the deportations, alleging that some returnees had serious health conditions while others had lived and worked in Germany for several years.
One case cited involved a single mother and her three children who were reportedly deported from the Sindelfingen district of Stuttgart despite allegedly possessing documents relating to their residence status.
According to the report, the family subsequently returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local foreign authorities determined that the deportation had been carried out in error.
On March 10, another 50 Nigerians were deported in a joint European Union operation hosted by Germany and involving Spain, Austria and Belgium.
Germany accounted for 37 of the Nigerians deported during the operation, according to the reported figures.
The operation was described as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians during the three-year period covered by the reports.
The deportations continued in April, when 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were returned to Nigeria on April 9.
The flight reportedly departed from Frankfurt and was organised through Frontex and German authorities.
A further 23 Nigerians were deported in May, while another 26 arrived in Lagos on June 17 following a routine chartered deportation flight.
In total, the five documented operations resulted in 137 Nigerians being returned to Nigeria between February and June 2026.
The figures highlight the continued use of organised charter flights by Germany and other European countries to enforce deportation orders involving Nigerian nationals.
The reports have also drawn attention to questions surrounding the treatment of deportees, including the circumstances of people with health conditions, families with ongoing residence-related matters and the level of assistance available to returnees upon arrival in Nigeria.
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