Borders not closed, Interior Minister counters Atiku's 2027 promise
By Aboki Forex —
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said Nigerian land borders are not closed, contrary to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar's claim that he would reopen them if elected president in 2027.
Tunji-Ojo said the borders cannot be reopened because they were already reopened by the previous government. He was responding to Atiku, who specifically named Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic in his comments.
Reopening timeline
According to the minister, the previous government reopened Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum on December 16, 2020. Idiroko and Ikom were reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022. Kamba and Tsamiya in Kebbi State were also reopened.
On the Cameroon border, Tunji-Ojo said the prolonged closures at Banki and Amchidé did not arise from the 2019 trade policy. Boko Haram forced their closure in 2014 for security reasons. They were reopened in 2019, with Fotokol and Gambaru following in 2021 after joint military and stabilisation efforts by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Security and trade controls
The minister acknowledged that not every northern border is fully unrestricted today. Where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control is a deliberate security judgement, not neglect.
He argued that modern border management requires security, documentation, customs compliance and controlled trade facilitation together. It is not a choice between total closure and unrestricted movement.
Call for honest debate
Tunji-Ojo said political competition must not become a competition to rewrite recent history. He challenged Atiku to set out a new border proposal and explain how it differs from the current approach, rather than treating separate trade, security and infrastructure issues as one and the same.
For Nigerian businesses and traders operating along these corridors, the minister's clarification means existing border posts remain open under current rules, while security concerns continue to shape access in some areas.