Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, rejects former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s assertion that Nigeria’s land borders are closed and that they can be reopened if elected president. Tunji-Ojo says the borders are already open, so there is nothing to “reopen,” and he faults the premise behind Atiku’s proposal.
In statements reported by multiple outlets, Tunji-Ojo says recent and earlier reopening efforts involved specific border crossings. Sources cite the reopening of Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfum borders on December 16, 2020, with additional reopenings such as Idiroko and Ikom in 2022, and Kamba and Tsamiya in Kebbi State in February 2026. He also points to Cameroon-related crossings where closures and reopenings occurred for security reasons, and he argues these are separate from trade policy changes.
Across the reports, the core dispute is political: Atiku frames border closure as a policy failure to be reversed, while Tunji-Ojo argues that border management operates with a mix of access and controls depending on documentation, customs compliance, and security conditions at specific locations.
