At least 137 Nigerian citizens were returned home from Germany via five documented charter flights between February and June 2026, based on reports obtained by News Point Nigeria.
Figures tracked by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org detail the timeline of the arrivals: 27 individuals in February, 37 sent directly by Germany as part of a 50-person joint European Union operation in March, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June. These numbers highlight a growing reliance on charter flights to carry out deportations from Germany and surrounding European nations through coordinated state efforts.
The initial flight on February 18, 2026, brought 27 Nigerians to the Lagos Cargo Airport. Operated by World2fly, the flight departed from Stuttgart and landed in Lagos shortly before 2pm. While enforced primarily by Germany, one deportee—described as severely ill and mentally unfit—was transferred from Slovakia to join the 26 individuals removed from Germany. Baden-Württemberg was named a major participant in the action, with Stuttgart having served as the departure point for both the December 2025 and February 2026 operations to Nigeria.
Reports indicate that while several deportees suffered from serious health conditions, others had been living and working in Germany for years. Among them was a single mother and her three children removed from Stuttgart’s Sindelfingen district, despite holding documentation regarding their residence status. Following intervention by a volunteer and confirmation from local foreign authorities that the removal was made in error, the family subsequently returned to Germany.
The February operation occurred as Nigeria was preparing for the Voluntary National Review of the Global Compact for Migration ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum in New York. According to the DERS Team, no representatives from Nigerian government agencies were present at the airport to receive the deportees, who were transported away from the site without adequate assistance.
On March 10, a joint EU operation hosted by Germany alongside Spain, Austria, and Belgium deported 50 people to Nigeria, with Germany directly accounting for 37. This marked the largest single deportation operation involving Nigerians in the three years analyzed in the report.
Subsequent chartered flights organized through Frontex and German authorities returned 24 Nigerians—including women and a minor—on April 9, followed by 23 in May, and 26 on June 17.
These figures demonstrate the routine use of organized charter flights to enforce migration decisions. In response, migration rights advocates maintain that deportation policies require proper procedures and adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent wrongful removals. Driven by factors such as conflict, exploitation, climate pressures, and economic inequality, migration remains a longstanding practice that shapes global populations, cultures, and labor markets.
