Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has rejected former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reopen the country’s land borders, insisting that Nigeria’s borders are already open and therefore cannot be “reopened.”
Atiku’s comments have drawn attention amid political discussions about his plans for Nigeria if elected president in 2027.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Tunji-Ojo said the former vice-president’s position appeared to conflate separate episodes involving trade restrictions, insecurity and infrastructure at the nation’s border crossings.
The minister said the previous administration reopened the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum land borders on Dec. 16, 2020, with Idiroko and Ikom reopened to goods and services on April 20, 2022.
He added that Kamba and Tsamiya, in Kebbi State, were reopened in February 2026 under the current administration, linking Nigeria with Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.
Tunji-Ojo also sought to distinguish the situation along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon from the 2019 trade policy.
According to him, the closure of the Banki and Amchidé crossings began in 2014 because of Boko Haram violence, rather than as a consequence of the border policy.
He said the crossings reopened in 2019, while Fotokol and Gambaru followed in 2021 after joint military and stabilisation efforts involving Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
“Folding this separate, security-driven history into one continuous 2019 shutdown misrepresents two distinct issues, trade regulation and counter-insurgency, as a single failure,” the minister said.
He acknowledged, however, that not every crossing in the north is operating without restrictions.
Tunji-Ojo said tighter controls remain in place in areas affected by banditry or residual insurgent activity, describing them as deliberate security decisions intended to protect traders and border communities.
The minister argued that effective border management should not be reduced to a choice between complete closure and unrestricted movement.
Rather, he said, it requires a combination of security, documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation.
He challenged Atiku to publish the details of his border policy and explain how it would differ from the federal government’s current approach.
Political competition, Tunji-Ojo said, should not become an attempt to “rewrite recent history” by presenting distinct trade, security and infrastructure challenges as one issue.
The dispute highlights a broader policy question ahead of the 2027 elections: whether Nigeria’s border strategy should prioritise wider commercial access, tighter security controls or a more clearly defined balance between the two.
While the minister maintains that the borders are open, his own statement confirms that access remains uneven, with some crossings subject to security-related restrictions.
