Presidency Challenges Atiku’s Border Reopening Pledge, Says Nigeria’s Land Borders Are Already Open

The Presidency has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his pledge to “open the borders” if elected, arguing that Nigeria’s land borders are already open and that debate on the issue should focus on security, trade facilitation and effective border management.

In a statement issued on August 28, 2026, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, said the Federal Government reopened most of the country’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and had not reversed the decision.

Dare said it was unclear which borders Atiku intended to open, noting that President Bola Tinubu had also opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026, a move the Presidency said produced economic and diplomatic gains.

The statement said that if Atiku’s proposal meant relaxing existing border controls, Nigerians should be told which controls would be removed, why such changes were necessary, and what safeguards would be put in place against terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime.

The Presidency argued that an open border is not the same as an uncontrolled border, saying modern border management should support legitimate movement, trade and economic activity while preventing criminal and terrorist networks from exploiting border routes.

The statement warned that Nigeria’s northern security environment remained closely linked to developments across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, where terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime continue to affect border communities and regional stability.

Citing the Global Terrorism Index 2026, the presidency said about 41 per cent of terrorist attacks occur within 50 kilometres of an international border, while about 64 per cent occur within 100 kilometres, underscoring the vulnerability of borderlands where terrain is difficult, state presence is limited and coordination is weak.

“The implications for Nigeria are obvious. As domestic insurgencies evolve into increasingly networked and transnational terrorist threats, effective border management becomes an indispensable component of national security,” the presidency highlighted, noting that “terrorists and criminal networks exploit sovereign boundaries precisely because security forces cannot simply pursue them across international borders without appropriate cooperation and legal frameworks.”

The Presidency said effective border management had become an indispensable component of national security as insurgent and criminal networks increasingly exploit international boundaries and legal constraints on cross-border security operations.

It argued that Nigeria’s focus on the Northeast and Northwest corridors, including the coordinated deployment of the armed forces and other security institutions, should not be misconstrued as evidence of closed borders but seen as a reflection of responsible border security.