By Nkiruka Nnorom
Germany has cemented its position as the leading deportation hub for Nigerian migrants in Europe, with no fewer than 457 Nigerians forcibly returned to Nigeria in the last 18 months through 14 chartered deportation flights hosted from German cities.
Data compiled by the Deportees Emergency Reception and Support team, DERS, and obtained by Vanguard shows that between January 2025 and May 2026, German authorities coordinated or participated in every major monthly removal operation from Europe to Nigeria, with Lagos receiving over 80 percent of the returnees.
According to DERS records, also shared by Refugees4Refugess.org, 171 persons — 143 of them directly from Germany — were deported onboard four charter flights in the first half of 2025.
In the second half of the year, another 135 persons arrived in six separate interventions, except for the August flight, which DERS said was missed due to heavy rainfall.
