*Rejects Atiku’s 2027 reopening promise
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has faulted comments by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on plans to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected President in 2027, pointing out that the borders are not closed and therefore cannot be reopened.
Tunji-Ojo, who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said the Atiku’s claims misrepresents the current status of the country’s borders and the processes that have guided their management since 2020.
According to him, on December 16, 2020, the previous administration reopened Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum land borders, with others to follow.
He added that Idiroko and Ikom borders were reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022.
The Minister further stated that Kamba and Tsamiya border control in Kebbi State were reopened under the current administration in February 2026, linking Nigeria with Niger and Benin Republic respectively.
On the Cameroon border, Tunji-Ojo explained that prolonged closures at Banki and Amchidé did not arise from the 2019 trade policy.
He said they date to 2014 when Boko Haram forced their closure for security reasons, and were reopened in 2019, with Fotokol and Gambaru following in 2021 after joint military efforts by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
He noted that folding the separate, security-driven history into one continuous 2019 shutdown wrongly merges two distinct issues — trade regulation and counter-insurgency — as a single failure.
The Minister added that not every northern crossing is fully unrestricted today because “where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control remains a deliberate security judgement”.
He said reopening ahead of the security situation would expose traders and border communities to greater risk.
“Modern border management is not a choice between total closure and unrestricted movement; it requires security, documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation together,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He urged that political competition should not become a competition to rewrite recent history.
