…Says insurgency responsible for isolated tighter border controls
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has reacted to a pledge made by the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, to reopen land borders, saying “Nigerian borders are not closed and so cannot be reopened”.
According to him, tighter border control measures are emplaced within some border areas where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists,
Addressing a political group during the week, the former Vice President had asked: ” I’m going to reopen the borders”.
Responding in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, Tunji-Ojo, said nothing could be further from the truth, explaining that the previous government had reopened the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum borders sometime in 2020.
He further noted that Idiroko and Ikom entry points were later reopened in 2022, while the closure Kamba and Tsamiya, in Kebbi State, was lifted under the current administration in February 2026.
The Kamba and Tsamiya border linns Nigeria to Niger, and Benin Republics respectively.
The statement reads: “Attention has been drawn to comments by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on his plans to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected President in 2027.
“As the Minister of Interior who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service being an agency of government in charge of border and migration management, it is expedient to state that Nigerian borders are not closed and so cannot be reopened.”.
It continues: “On 16 December 2020, the previous government reopened Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum, with the rest to follow. Idiroko and Ikom were reopened for goods and services on 20 April 2022, and Kamba and Tsamiya, in Kebbi State, followed under the current administration in February 2026, linking to Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.
“The former Vice President named Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic specifically. The prolonged closures on the Cameroon border, at Banki and Amchidé, did not arise from the 2019 trade policy at all.
“They date to 2014, when Boko Haram forced their closure for security reasons, and reopened in 2019, with Fotokol and Gambaru following in 2021, after joint military and stabilisation efforts by 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.
“Not every northern crossing is fully unrestricted today. Where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control is a deliberate security judgement, not neglect, since reopening ahead of the security situation would expose traders and border communities to greater risk.”
The Minister clarified that: “Modern border management is not a choice between total closure and unrestricted movement; it requires security, documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation together.”
This is a s he advised thus: “Political competition should not become a competition to rewrite recent history.
“If he has a new border proposal, he should set it out and explain how it differs from the current approach, rather than treating separate trade, security and infrastructure issues as one and the same”.
