Germany Deports 137 Africans on 5 Charter Flights, Details Emerge
- Germany carried out at least five documented chartered deportation operations involving Nigerian citizens between February and June 2026
- The largest single operation in March 2026 involved a joint EU effort with Spain, Austria and Belgium, returning 50 people to Nigeria
- Reports flagged that no Nigerian government agency sent representatives to receive deportees at Lagos airport across any of the documented operations
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Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flight operations between February and June 2026, according to figures monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.
Source: Getty Images
The removals were carried out in separate batches: 27 in February, 37 as part of a broader 50-person joint EU operation in March, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June. The data was subsequently reported by The Punch.
February operation raises vulnerable case concern
The first recorded operation took place on February 18, when 27 Nigerians arrived at Lagos Cargo Airport aboard a World2fly aircraft that had departed Stuttgart.
Baden-Württemberg was identified as a major participant in the operation, and Stuttgart had hosted a similar exercise in December 2025. One person described as severely ill and mentally unfit was transferred from Slovakia to join the group before departure.
Refugees4refugees.org raised several concerns about the February operation, including the removal of a single mother and her three children from the Sindelfingen district.
The family was reportedly deported despite holding documentation relevant to their residence status. They subsequently returned to Germany after a volunteer intervened and local immigration authorities confirmed the deportation had been carried out in error.
The operation also coincided with Nigeria's involvement in preparations for the Voluntary National Review of the Global Compact for Migration ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum in New York.
March operation the largest in three years
On March 10, Germany coordinated what the DERS Team described as the largest single deportation of Nigerians recorded in three years. Germany directly accounted for 37 of the 50 people removed in the joint EU operation, which was carried out in cooperation with Spain, Austria and Belgium.
A further 24 Nigerians, including women and a minor, were deported on April 9 via a chartered flight from Frankfurt organised through Frontex and German authorities.
Across all five operations, the DERS Team noted that no Nigerian government agency sent representatives to receive the returning citizens at Lagos airport, and that deportees were transported away without adequate support structures in place.
Migration rights advocates have argued that deportation policies must include sufficient safeguards for vulnerable individuals and clear procedures to prevent wrongful removal. Factors commonly cited as drivers of irregular migration from Nigeria include economic hardship, conflict, climate-related displacement and exploitation.
US deports 3 Ghanaian women
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that three Ghanaian women who fled to the United States, fearing persecution over their sexual orientation, have been deported.
The trio were deported to Cameroon, a country where they have no family, connections or guaranteed safety.
The women, who arrived in the US in 2024, had reportedly been granted legal protection that barred American authorities from returning them to Ghana.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
