Tunji-Ojo replies Atiku on Nigeria’s borders closure

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s land borders remain closed.

Tunji-Ojo clarified that the nation’s borders are currently open and therefore cannot be reopened.

The minister, who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service, made the clarification in a statement he issued and signed on Saturday.

His clarification followed a campaign pledge by Atiku—the 2027 presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—who vowed to reopen borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin Republic if elected.

Tunji-Ojo countered Atiku’s narrative that Nigeria’s borders “are not closed and so cannot be reopened.”

“As the Minister of Interior who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service being an agency of government in charge of border control and migration management, it is expedient to state that Nigerian borders are not closed and so cannot be reopened,” he said.

The minister explained that the previous administration reopened Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum borders on December 16, 2020, with Idiroko and Ikom subsequently reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022.

According to him, Kamba and Tsamiya borders in Kebbi State were also reopened under the current administration in February 2026, linking Nigeria with Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.

Tunji-Ojo specifically faulted Atiku’s reference to Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic, arguing that the prolonged closures on the Cameroon border at Banki and Amchidé had nothing to do with the 2019 trade policy often cited in such discussions.

He said, “The prolonged closures on the Cameroon border, at Banki and Amchidé, did not arise from the 2019 trade policy at all.

“They date to 2014, when Boko Haram forced their closure for security reasons, and reopened in 2019, with Fotokol and Gambaru following in 2021, after joint military and stabilisation efforts by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.”

The minister said conflating that separate, security-driven history with the 2019 trade-related shutdown misrepresented two distinct issues as a single failure.

“Folding this separate, security driven history into one continuous 2019 shutdown misrepresents two distinct issues, trade regulation and counter insurgency, as a single failure,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo acknowledged that not every northern crossing is fully unrestricted today, but explained that tighter control in areas experiencing banditry or residual insurgent activity reflects a deliberate security judgement rather than neglect.

“Where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control is a deliberate security judgement, not neglect, since reopening ahead of the security situation would expose traders and border communities to greater risks,” he said.

The minister added that modern border management could not be reduced to a simple choice between total closure and unrestricted movement, stressing that it requires security, documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation working together.

He urged that political competition should not become an avenue to rewrite recent history, challenging Atiku to present a fresh border management proposal rather than merging separate trade, security and infrastructure issues into one narrative.

“If he has a new border management proposal, he should set it out and explain how it differs from the current approach, rather than treating separate trade, security and infrastructure issues as one and the same,” he said.