*Over 1,400 stranded Nigerian migrants repatriated from Niger Republic
Etim Ekpimah
More than 1,400 stranded Nigerians were repatriated from the Niger Republic in May 2026, according to recent data from the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC).
The figures, published in the MMC’s Quarterly Mixed Migration Update for West Africa, underscore the ongoing reliance on Niger as a primary transit hub for individuals attempting irregular journeys to Europe via Libya and Algeria.
Official records confirm that the Nigeria Immigration Service received at least 1,100 citizens travelling by road from Niger on 22 May. Two days later, the National Emergency Management Agency welcomed a further 329 returnees from Agadez, bringing the total to 1,429.
Agadez, a UNESCO World Heritage site located nearly 950 kilometres north-east of Niamey, serves as a crucial northern staging point for West Africans navigating the Sahara Desert.
The MMC highlighted that these mass returns reflect the precarious reality facing thousands of migrants who remain stranded in Niger, enduring extended stays in under-resourced International Organisation for Migration (IOM) facilities or urban centres.
The report also reveals the following key insights regarding regional movement and border dynamics:
Central Mediterranean route: By May 2026, 163 Nigerians had reached Italy via this corridor, the second highest among West African nationals, behind Mali (193). This marks a slight decline from the 196 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025.
Algerian expulsions: Citing the migrant rights network Alarm Phone Sahara, the report noted that at least 14,602 individuals were expelled from Algeria into Niger between mid-January and mid-May 2026. This figure represents 43 per cent of the total 34,000 expulsions recorded throughout 2025.
Border Limbo: Unofficial expulsion convoys from Algeria continue to sweep up non-Nigerien citizens, including nationals from Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Sudan, and Chad. Migrants often find themselves caught in a damaging cycle, repeatedly pushed back across the border by both Algerian and Nigerien authorities.
Spanish arrivals: Irregular arrivals to Spain fell by 33 per cent to 12,138 as of 30 June 2026, driven largely by a 67 per cent decline along the Atlantic Route to the Canary Islands. However, casualty rates dropped by only 16 per cent, indicating that crossing attempts remain extremely perilous.
The strategic significance of Niger as a transit hub intensified following the fall of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011. Although Niger enacted anti-smuggling legislation in 2015 under European Union pressure, the military government that assumed power in 2023 subsequently repealed the law.
Rights organisations note that this repeal effectively reopened historic desert trade routes, complicating international migration management across the Sahel.
