The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s plan to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in 2027, insisting that the country’s borders are not closed and therefore cannot be reopened.

Tunji-Ojo stated this on Saturday while reacting to Atiku’s comments on his proposed border policy, stressing that the Nigeria Immigration Service, under the Ministry of Interior, is responsible for border and migration management.

“As the Minister of Interior who supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service, 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,” he said.

The minister recalled that the previous administration reopened four major land borders; Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum, on December 16, 2020, while Idiroko and Ikom were subsequently reopened for goods and services on April 20, 2022.

He added that the current administration reopened Kamba and Tsamiya border crossings in Kebbi State in February 2026, restoring links with Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.

Tunji-Ojo also disputed Atiku’s characterisation of Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic as having been subjected to prolonged closure because of the 2019 trade policy.

According to him, the closure of the Banki and Amchidé crossings along the Cameroon border was primarily triggered by security concerns linked to the Boko Haram insurgency and predated the 2019 trade policy.

“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,” he said.

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

Tunji-Ojo acknowledged that some northern crossings remain subject to restrictions but said such measures were driven by prevailing security conditions rather than government neglect.

“Not every northern crossing is fully unrestricted today. Where banditry or residual insurgent activity persists, tighter control is a deliberate security judgement, not neglect,” he said.

The minister warned that reopening border crossings without first addressing security concerns could expose traders and border communities to greater risks.

He argued that effective border management required a balance between security, proper documentation, customs compliance and trade facilitation, rather than a choice between total closure and unrestricted movement.

“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 challenged Atiku to provide details of his proposed border policy and explain how it would differ from the current approach, rather than presenting trade, security and infrastructure challenges as a single issue.

“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,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo also cautioned against allowing political competition to distort the record of recent developments in Nigeria’s border management.

“Political competition should not become a competition to rewrite recent history,” the minister said.

Atiku, who has contested for the presidency in six election cycles since 1993, had also proposed the development of seaports in the South-South and South-East, arguing that such infrastructure would address what he described as an imbalance in Nigeria’s import and transportation system.

During his 2023 presidential campaign, Atiku said he had engaged shippers and ship-development companies in Europe over possible support for developing ports in the South-South and South-East.

Nigeria’s busiest seaports are concentrated in Lagos, although coastal states including Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa also have access to the Atlantic Ocean.