No fewer than 14,000 Nigerians living illegally in Germany risk deportation, according to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The German leader disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to a statement from the Presidency.
He said the number of Nigeriens seeking asylum in Europe’s biggest economy has spike in recent years, adding that a number of these persons have no means of identity.
While the German government is prepared to send this set of people back to the country, Scholz said the Nigerian government has refused to accept them because of lack of identification.
More than 12,000 persons,the German leader noted are in this category.
Scholz said, “The current spike in Nigerians filing initial asylum claims in 2023 has sparked worries. Nearly 14,000 Nigerians might be deported, and the great majority of them do not have the necessary identification cards.
“We are prepared to collaborate in order to enhance migration,” the statement stated, adding that Germany would be happy to send back any Nigerian national who has behaved well.
The statement quoted President Tinubu saying the Nigerian government is prepared to accept the illegal immigrants, and will work out modalities with the German government on how this would be achieved.
The magazines checks from Wikipedia indicate that as of 2021, there are close to 83,000 Nigerians living in Germany.
More Nigerians have since migrated to the country in search of greener pastures, those familiar with the issue said.
The globally rated information platform said Nigerians are the second most employed foreigners in Germany after Pakistan.
