Another batch of 50 deported persons were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration service at the Lagos Cargo Airport on Tuesday. This operation was a joint EU deportation enforcement hosted by Germany in cooperation with Spain, Austria and Belgium. Germany was as usual responsible for 37 of the enforced deportation. This is the highest single deportation enforced so far in the past three years.
At the peak of the ongoing anti-migrants debate, the increasingly restrictive and inhuman migration policies, massive criminalization of migrants in facilitation of the German-European deportation agenda, the tendency to create much more vulnerability for migrants; homelessness, discrimination, stereotype and massive violation of migrants rights has become an absolute reality.
Considering the monthly deportation routine to Nigeria and the obvious lack of the Nigerian government reaction to years of trending reports of massive violence and human right abuses associated with these deportation enforcement, the quite alarming situation with the newly enacted policies should be a cause for concern and challenge for Nigerians especially the diaspora community
For the past two decades now, Nigeria has always taken the top lead as major deportation destination country for Germany. Aside the brutality and physical violence accompanying the deportation enforcement, there are huge number cases with deportation of persons with valid and existing cases in the German court. A lot more of them are persons that are medically certified as sick and undergoing critical medical attention for years, including children. The deliberate and repeated act of state violation of international legal provisions as well as Germany`s own domestic Laws to enforce the deportation is a cause for concern that we must continue to denounce and scandalize.
From the past six years of the DERS Airport interventions, the Team has always been confronted with cases of deported children with special needs, many are arriving with critical mental health conditions and physical disabilities especially from the brutality and violence during the deportation process. Someone amongst those deported with the February batch could barely even see. These highly traumatized deported persons, some of whom were arbitrarily coerced with medication are finally transported and abandoned outside the Airport premises without any form of of support, not even first-aid.
On December 17, 2025, a Nigerian family with valid residence permit was deported from the Sindelfingen region near Stuttgart. The single mother with her Kids, one of them with special needs were picked up at midnight from their home. All convincing explanation and documentation confirming residency was ignored by the police and bundled onboard a deportation flight to Nigeria.
Another case was that of a Nigerian who was residing in the state of Nordrhein – Westfalen. Despite a last minute court decision to stop his deportation, the deportation enforcing officers proceeded with smuggling him onboard the charter deportation operation on November 28, 2023 to Nigeria. The deportation was successfully executed and reported and later reported in a manner to vindicate the responsible German Authority. Another shock was the deportation of an eight years old girl with her on her birthday. These are a very few of the several cases dubious and manipulated deportation.
On the Nigerian part, the fact that the government continues to turn blind eyes on this issue has rendered the country porous as a deportation clearing house for black Africans. No one will be surprised to know that there is even not a local structure to monitor these arrivals and report situations for prompt reaction, when the need arises. The Germans are documenting every step of the deportation process from arrest in Germany to the final arrival but in the interest to cover up the German interest.
With the situation so far, Nigeria appears to be one country where anyone arriving onboard charter deportation flights could be easily dumped as the deportation flight is always set for quick take-off before the commencement of the usual profiling by the immigration Authorities.
We are aware of an upcoming meeting so-called “High-level expert dialogue on voluntary return to Nigeria”. The event will be bringing together key players from the German deportation regime (administration, politics, counseling, reintegration, psycho-social support and international cooperation). The aim is to jointly analyze possible factors that will facilitate sustainable and massive deportation approach to Nigeria.
A former Nigerian diplomat to Switzerland is expected to give an insight on how she had successfully organized the deportation of several hundred of Nigerians from Switzerland and more also her current work in Nigeria.
We want to in clear terms denounce all attempts to engage in any form of deportation collaboration or consent to any alternative or reproduced bait for so-called voluntary returns but rather to speak in favour of unconditional regularization and respect for Nigerians and other migrants irrespective of their status in Germany.
For more info. (Email: ders@refugees4refugees.org / Wazapp.: +234.817.346.3700)
This post is also available in Deutsch.