No fewer than 1,429 Nigerians were repatriated from Niger Republic in May 2026, underscoring the continued challenges of irregular migration along the Sahel corridor, according to the latest Quarterly Mixed Migration Update for West Africa (Q2 2026).
The report, released by the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), a Geneva-based research organisation affiliated with the Danish Refugee Council, identified Niger Republic as a major transit route for West Africans attempting to reach Europe through Libya and Algeria.
The latest figures come as Nigeria continues to grapple with increased migration driven largely by economic hardship, with many citizens seeking opportunities abroad through both regular and irregular channels.
According to the report, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) confirmed the arrival of at least 1,100 Nigerians who returned by road from Niger Republic on May 22, 2026. Two days later, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received an additional 329 returnees from Agadez, Niger’s main desert transit hub, bringing the total number of repatriated Nigerians to 1,429.
The MMC said the mass return highlights the continued presence of stranded migrants in Niger Republic, many of whom remain in International Organization for Migration (IOM) centres or urban areas with limited access to essential resources.
Located about 950 kilometres northeast of Niamey, Agadez has long served as the principal transit point for West African migrants attempting to cross the Sahara Desert into Libya or Algeria before continuing to Europe through the Central Mediterranean route.
The report showed that Nigerians remain among the leading West African nationalities attempting the dangerous journey to Italy. As of May 2026, 163 Nigerians had arrived in Italy through the Central Mediterranean Route, compared with 196 recorded during the same period in 2025.
It also revealed that many Nigerians were caught up in ongoing expulsions from Algeria into Niger Republic.
Citing Alarm Phone Sahara, a migrant rights network, the report disclosed that at least 14,602 people were expelled from Algeria into Niger between January 18 and May 17, 2026, representing 43 per cent of the approximately 34,000 expulsions recorded throughout 2025.
While many of those returned were Nigerien nationals, the report noted that migrants from Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Chad were also among those affected. It added that some migrants expelled into Niger Republic were later pushed back into Algeria by Nigerien authorities, leaving many stranded along the border.
Regionally, Spain recorded 12,138 irregular arrivals by land and sea as of June 30, 2026, representing a 33 per cent decline compared with the same period in 2025. However, the report cautioned that the drop in arrivals does not necessarily indicate fewer migration attempts, as deaths and disappearances along the route declined by only 16 per cent.
The report noted that Niger Republic has remained West Africa’s principal migration transit corridor since the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya in 2011, with Agadez serving as a key gateway for migrants heading towards North Africa and Europe.
Although Niger criminalised migrant smuggling in 2015 under pressure from the European Union, the country’s military government repealed the law after taking power in 2023, a move rights groups say has reopened Agadez as one of Africa’s busiest migration routes.
Under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Nigerians can travel to Niger Republic without a visa for up to 90 days, making the neighbouring country both an important trade corridor and a common starting point for migrants attempting irregular journeys to North Africa and Europe.
