Germany deported at least 137 Nigerians in five chartered operations between February and June 2026, according to reports monitored by The PUNCH.
The deportees were returned in separate batches of 27 in February, 37 in March, 24 in April, 23 in May and 26 in June.
The figures were contained in reports monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org, which documented several deportation operations involving Germany and other European countries.
The first batch of 27 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos Cargo Airport on February 18 after being deported from Germany.
According to Refugees4refugees.org, the flight, operated by World2fly, left Stuttgart and arrived in Lagos shortly before 2pm.
Germany was responsible for the operation, although one person described as severely ill and mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the 26 Nigerians deported from Germany.
Baden-Württemberg was identified as a major participant in the operation, with Stuttgart also having hosted a previous deportation flight to Nigeria in December 2025.
The report raised concerns over the deportation of some Nigerians who allegedly had serious health conditions or had lived and worked in Germany for several years.
It cited the case of a single mother and her three children who were deported from the Sindelfingen area of Stuttgart despite reportedly having documents relating to their residence status.
The family later returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local immigration authorities confirmed that the deportation had been carried out in error.
The DERS Team also said Nigerian government agencies did not send representatives to receive the deportees at the airport. It alleged that the returnees were taken away from the airport without adequate assistance.
On March 10, another 50 people were deported to Nigeria in a joint European Union operation involving Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium.
Germany accounted for 37 of the deportees, while the remaining 13 were returned from the other participating countries.
The operation was described in the report as the largest single deportation involving Nigerians during the three-year period covered.
On April 9, another 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were returned on a chartered flight from Frankfurt 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 chartered flight from Germany.
The five operations brought the total number of Nigerians deported from Germany and returned through the documented flights to 137.
Migration rights groups have continued to call for stronger safeguards during deportation exercises, particularly for vulnerable people, and better checks to prevent wrongful removals.
The development also highlights the continued use of organised charter flights by European countries to enforce deportation orders involving Nigerians.
