Tunji-Ojo dismisses Atiku’s border closure claim

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s land borders were closed, saying the country’s borders are not closed and therefore cannot be “reopened”.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, had spoken about plans to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected President in 2027.

Reacting in a statement on Saturday, Tunji-Ojo said the claim did not reflect the current status of Nigeria’s borders, adding that several major land borders had been reopened under previous and current administrations.

According to him, the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum borders were reopened on December 16, 2020, while Idiroko and Ikom were reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022.

He added that the Kamba and Tsamiya borders in Kebbi State were reopened in February 2026, linking Nigeria with the Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.

The minister also clarified Atiku’s reference to Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin, saying the prolonged closure of the Cameroon border crossings at Banki and Amchidé was security-driven and unrelated to the 2019 trade policy.

Tunji-Ojo explained that the crossings were closed in 2014 following Boko Haram activities and subsequently reopened in 2019, with Fotokol and Gambaru reopening in 2021 after joint military and stabilisation efforts by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

He said conflating the security-related closures with the 2019 trade policy misrepresented two distinct issues as one continuous border shutdown.

The minister, however, acknowledged that not every northern border crossing was fully unrestricted, noting that areas affected by banditry or residual insurgent activities remained subject to tighter controls.

He said such restrictions were deliberate security measures intended to protect traders and border communities.

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“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 political actors to distinguish between trade regulation, security concerns and infrastructure challenges in discussing Nigeria’s border management.

According to him, political competition should not become an attempt to rewrite recent history.

He challenged Atiku to explain any new border policy he intends to introduce rather than presenting the country’s existing trade, security and infrastructure issues as a single border closure.