The Interior Minister says Atiku’s pledge to reopen Nigeria’s land borders is based on an inaccurate account of the country’s current border status.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s promise to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in 2027, insisting that the country’s borders are already open.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, had pledged to reopen land borders linking Nigeria with neighbouring countries, arguing that prolonged restrictions had affected cross-border trade and contributed to rising food prices.
However, Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria’s borders “are not closed and so cannot be reopened.”
The minister said major border posts, including Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum, were reopened in December 2020, while Idiroko and Ikom reopened for goods and services in April 2022.
He added that the Kamba and Tsamiya border posts in Kebbi State were reopened under the current administration in February 2026.
Tunji-Ojo also said the closure of Banki and Amchidé crossings along the Cameroon border was due to Boko Haram-related security concerns and not the 2019 trade restrictions, adding that they were subsequently reopened.
He acknowledged that some border crossings remain under tighter controls because of banditry and insurgency but said the restrictions were deliberate security measures.
The minister urged Atiku to present a clear alternative border management policy, rather than, in his view, conflating trade restrictions, security challenges and infrastructure issues.