ATIKU’S BORDER CLAIM: TUNJI-OJO FIRES BACK, SAYS ‘NIGERIA’S BORDERS ARE NOT CLOSED’ ..... Minister challenges former VP to explain what he intends to “reopen”

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
Minister of Interior

"Conflating the security-related border closures with the 2019 trade policy amounted to presenting “two distinct issues, trade regulation and counter insurgency, as a single failure.” Tunji-Ojo 

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that Nigeria’s land borders would be reopened if he wins the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the country’s borders are not currently closed.

Tunji-Ojo, who oversees the Nigeria Immigration Service and other agencies responsible for border and migration management, said it was therefore misleading to speak of reopening borders that were already operational.

The minister, in a statement on Friday, recalled that the previous administration reopened four major land borders—Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum—on December 16, 2020, with other crossings subsequently reopened.

He said Idiroko and Ikom were reopened to goods and services on April 20, 2022, while Kamba and Tsamiya in Kebbi State were reopened under the present administration in February 2026, providing links to Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.

Tunji-Ojo also disputed the former Vice President’s reference to the borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic as having been subjected to one prolonged closure arising from Nigeria’s 2019 trade policy.

According to him, the closure of the Banki and Amchidé crossings along the Cameroon border was primarily security-driven, dating back to 2014 when Boko Haram insurgency forced their closure.

He said the crossings were reopened in 2019, while Fotokol and Gambaru followed in 2021 after joint military and stabilisation efforts involving Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The minister warned that conflating the security-related border closures with the 2019 trade policy amounted to presenting “two distinct issues, trade regulation and counter insurgency, as a single failure.”

He, however, acknowledged that some northern border crossings are not yet operating without restrictions, stressing that such controls are necessary in areas still affected by banditry or residual insurgency.

“Where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control is a deliberate security judgement, not neglect,” the minister said, arguing that premature reopening could expose traders and border communities to heightened risks.

Tunji-Ojo maintained that modern border management could not be reduced to a choice between shutting borders completely and allowing unrestricted movement.

He said effective border management requires a combination of security, proper documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation.

The minister challenged Atiku to provide details of his proposed border policy if elected president in 2027, rather than presenting separate trade, security and infrastructure issues as one problem.

“Political competition should not become a competition to rewrite recent history,” Tunji-Ojo said, urging the former Vice President to explain what would be different about his proposed approach.

The minister’s statement comes amid renewed political debate over Nigeria’s border policy and the impact of border controls on trade, security and relations with neighbouring countries ahead of the 2027 general elections.