At least 1,429 Nigerians were repatriated from Niger Republic in May 2026, the latest data from the Mixed Migration Centre show.
This is as the West African country continues to serve as a major transit corridor for citizens attempting the dangerous journey to Europe through Libya and Algeria.
The figures are contained in the Quarterly Mixed Migration Update for West Africa, Quarter 2 2026 and obtained by Saturday PUNCH as the latest data on stranded Nigerian migrants along the Sahel migration corridor.
The latest data come as Nigeria continues to grapple with a wider japa wave, driven largely by economic hardship that has also pushed hundreds of thousands of citizens toward the UK, the United States, Canada, and other destinations through both regular and irregular channels in recent years.
The data cited a Saturday PUNCH report from May in which the Nigeria Immigration Service confirmed the arrival of at least 1,100 Nigerians who travelled by road from Niger Republic on May 22, 2026.
