Thirty-six Nigerians have been deported from Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Hungary in a coordinated European deportation operation that also involved five Ghanaians and one Gambian.

The deportees were flown to Nigeria and Ghana on a charter flight between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with Lagos and Accra listed as the destinations, according to reports citing Austrian news outlet Heute.at.

Germany organised the joint operation, with Austria, Luxembourg and Hungary participating. Of the 36 Nigerians deported, 29 were removed from Germany, three from Austria, two from Luxembourg and one from Hungary.

Germany accounted for 35 of the people aboard the flight — 29 Nigerians, five Ghanaians and one Gambian.

One of the three Nigerians deported from Austria had previously been convicted of a drug-related offence, according to the report.

The operation comes amid continued efforts by European countries to remove foreign nationals who do not have legal grounds to remain in their territories or who have been convicted of offences.

Austria’s Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, said the government would continue its deportation policy targeting people staying illegally in the country and criminal offenders.

The latest operation follows five chartered deportation flights organised by Germany between February and June 2026, during which 137 Nigerians were returned to Nigeria. Those flights carried 27 Nigerians in February, 37 in March, 24 in April, 23 in May and 26 in June.

The coordinated operation highlights the growing use of joint deportation arrangements among European countries to facilitate the return of migrants who are no longer legally entitled to remain in Europe.