The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has countered former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s promise to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in 2027, declaring that the country’s borders are already open.
Tunji-Ojo, in a statement issued on Saturday, said it was inaccurate to speak of reopening the nation’s borders when several major crossings had already been reopened.
The minister, who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service, recalled that the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum borders were reopened on December 16, 2020.
He said Idiroko and Ikom borders were later reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022, while the Kamba and Tsamiya crossings in Kebbi State were reopened in February 2026 under the present administration.
According to him, the reopening of the Kamba and Tsamiya borders restored connections between Nigeria and Niger Republic and between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Tunji-Ojo further disputed the portrayal of all border restrictions as consequences of the 2019 trade policy, particularly those involving Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon.
He explained that the Banki and Amchidé crossings were closed in 2014 because of Boko Haram insurgency and reopened in 2019, while Fotokol and Gambaru were reopened in 2021 following coordinated security and stabilisation efforts involving Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
The minister said the different circumstances surrounding the closures should not be lumped together as one border shutdown.
He noted, however, that some northern border crossings continue to operate under tighter security measures due to banditry and residual insurgent threats.
Such measures, he said, were necessary to safeguard border communities and legitimate traders while ensuring compliance with immigration and customs requirements.
Tunji-Ojo stressed that modern border management involved striking a balance between national security, lawful movement, documentation, customs procedures and trade facilitation.
He therefore challenged Atiku to clearly outline any new border policy he intends to pursue instead of suggesting that the country’s borders are currently closed.
“Political competition should not become a competition to rewrite recent history,” the minister said.