No fewer than 1,429 Nigerians were repatriated from Niger Republic in May 2026, according to the latest figures released by the Mixed Migration Centre, underscoring the country’s continued role as a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe through Libya and Algeria.
The Punch reported that the figures, contained in the Quarterly Mixed Migration Update for West Africa, Quarter 2 2026, were obtained by Saturday PUNCH and provide the latest snapshot of Nigerians stranded along the Sahel migration corridor.
The report comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s ongoing japa trend, fuelled largely by economic challenges that have prompted many citizens to pursue opportunities abroad through both legal and irregular migration routes, particularly to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other countries.
According to the report, the Nigeria Immigration Service confirmed the return of at least 1,100 Nigerians who arrived by road from Niger Republic on May 22, 2026.
Two days later, the National Emergency Management Agency received another 329 returnees from Agadez, Niger’s principal desert transit hub, increasing the total number of returnees to more than 1,400.
The Mixed Migration Centre, a Geneva-based research organisation affiliated with the Danish Refugee Council, said the large-scale return “highlight the continued presence of stranded migrants in Niger, many of whom face prolonged stays in IOM (International Organization for Migration) centres or urban areas with limited resources.”
Located about 950 kilometres north-east of Niger’s capital, Niamey, Agadez has served for more than a decade as the key departure point for West African migrants crossing the Sahara Desert towards Libya or Algeria before attempting sea crossings to Italy or Spain.
The report identified Nigerians as one of the major West African nationalities still using the Central Mediterranean Route into Italy.
As of May 2026, 163 Nigerians had reached Italy through the route, second only to Mali, which recorded 193 arrivals among West African countries. However, the figure represented a decline from the 196 Nigerians who arrived during the same period in 2025.
The report further revealed that Nigerians were also among migrants caught up in ongoing deportations from Algeria into Niger.
Quoting Alarm Phone Sahara, a migrant rights organisation operating in the Sahel, the report stated that at least 14,602 people were expelled from Algeria into Niger between January 18 and May 17, 2026.
According to the report, this accounted for 43 per cent of the approximately 34,000 expulsions recorded throughout 2025.
Although the official convoys primarily return Nigerien citizens, the report noted that “increasing numbers of Nigeriens have also been included in unofficial convoys, which have primarily affected non-Nigeriens,” adding that those impacted included citizens of Mali, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan and Chad.
The report also disclosed that some migrants deported from Algeria into Niger were subsequently forced back across the border into Algeria by Nigerien security officials.
It noted that this repeated cycle of expulsions and re-expulsions has left many migrants, including Nigerians, stranded for extended periods along the border.
Across the region, Spain recorded 12,138 irregular arrivals by land and sea as of June 30, 2026, representing a 33 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2025.
The decrease was largely attributed to a 67 per cent reduction in crossings along the Atlantic Route to the Canary Islands.
However, the report warned that the decline in arrivals “do not necessarily reflect fewer crossing attempts,” pointing out that deaths and disappearances along the same route fell by only 16 per cent, a much smaller reduction than the drop in arrivals.
Niger Republic has played a central role in West African migration for more than a decade, with its importance growing significantly after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya in 2011, which opened new smuggling corridors into North Africa.
Agadez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, subsequently emerged as the final major transit point before migrants embarked on the hazardous journey across the Sahara into Libya or Algeria.
In 2015, Niger enacted legislation criminalising migrant smuggling under pressure from the European Union. While the law reduced visible migration through Agadez, it also forced smugglers and migrants to adopt more dangerous and less-monitored desert routes.
Following the 2023 military coup, Niger’s junta repealed the anti-smuggling legislation, a decision that rights groups said revived Agadez as one of Africa’s busiest migration hubs while complicating migration cooperation with European countries.
Nigeria’s membership of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement allows its citizens to enter Niger Republic without a visa for up to 90 days.
According to the report, this arrangement has enabled Niger to remain both an important commercial corridor and a convenient first destination for Nigerians seeking to continue irregular journeys to North Africa and Europe.
