THE Federal Government has tackled former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent promise to reopen Nigeria’s land borders if elected president in 2027, insisting that the country’s borders are not closed.

Reacting to Atiku’s comments in a statement weekend, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, stated that it was expedient to clarify the status of the borders, as his ministry supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which is responsible for border and migration management.

The Minister insisted that “Nigerian borders are not closed and so cannot be reopened.”

He recalled that the previous administration reopened the Seme, Illela, Maigatari, and Mfum borders on 16 December 2020. This was followed by the reopening of the Idiroko and Icon borders for goods and services on 20 April 2022.

He added that the current administration subsequently opened the Kamba and Tsamiya borders in Kebbi State, linking Niger and Benin republics, in February 2026.

Addressing Atiku’s specific references to Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin Republic, Tunji-Ojo clarified that the prolonged closures on the Cameroon border at Banki and Amchidé were not a result of the 2019 trade policy.

According to him, the closures date back to 2014 when the Boko Haram insurgency forced them shut for security reasons. They were reopened in 2019, while Fotokol and Gambaru followed 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,” the minister explained.

He maintained that while not every northern crossing is fully unrestricted today, the tighter controls in areas where banditry or residual insurgent activities persist are deliberate security judgements rather than neglect.

Reopening such areas prematurely, he noted, would expose traders and border communities to greater risks.

Tunji-Ojo further emphasised that modern border management is not a binary choice between total closure and unrestricted movement, but requires a combination of security, documentation, customs compliance, and controlled trade facilitation.

Cautioning against politicising national security and trade, the minister said “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.”

Recall the former VP on Wednesday, August 26th 2026 said that he will reopen Nigeria’s land borders and develop southern ports to boost trade if elected president in 2027.

The VP was reported to have made the comment when a political support group visited him in Abuja where he said that said more needs to be done to restore legitimate trans-border trade, particularly across Nigeria’s northern borders with neighbouring countries.

He also said the closure of the Nigeria’s borders had affected legitimate trans-border trade and pushed many young entrepreneurs into bankruptcy and unemployment.