The Presidency has challenged former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to explain his pledge to “open the borders” if elected President, insisting that Nigeria’s land borders are already open.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency said the Federal Government reopened most of the country’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and has not reversed the decision.
It also noted that President Bola Tinubu opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026, describing the development as one that had yielded economic and diplomatic gains.
The Presidency therefore questioned which borders Atiku intended to open, urging him to clarify whether his proposal was to relax existing border controls.
“If he means he would relax existing border controls, then Nigerians deserve to know precisely which controls he intends to remove, why he considers their removal necessary, and what safeguards his administration would deploy against terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, and other forms of transnational organised crime,” the statement said.
Dare stressed that an open border should not be interpreted as an uncontrolled border, noting that modern border management seeks to facilitate legitimate movement and trade while preventing criminal networks and terrorist organisations from exploiting international routes.
According to him, effective border governance requires immigration control, customs administration, intelligence-sharing, surveillance, technology and coordinated security operations.
The Presidency linked the issue to Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly developments across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, noting that the country shares borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
It cited the Global Terrorism Index 2026 as indicating that about 41 per cent of terrorist attacks occur within 50 kilometres of an international border, while approximately 64 per cent occur within 100 kilometres.
The statement argued that the figures underscore the vulnerability of border communities and the need for effective border security as terrorism and organised crime become increasingly transnational.
It said Nigeria’s security operations along the Northeast and Northwest corridors should therefore not be interpreted as evidence that the country’s borders are closed.
“Consequently, 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. It reflects responsible border security,” the Presidency stated.
Dare said Atiku, having previously served as Vice President, should understand the distinction between open borders and uncontrolled borders.
He challenged the former Vice President to present Nigerians with a detailed policy agenda explaining how his administration would improve border surveillance, strengthen intelligence-sharing with neighbouring countries, modernise customs and immigration operations, deploy technology, protect border communities and deepen regional cooperation against terrorism and organised crime.
The Presidency maintained that the Tinubu administration remained open to scrutiny and should be judged by measurable outcomes in security, economic recovery, border management and citizens’ welfare.
It, however, insisted that such scrutiny must be based on facts rather than campaign slogans.
“Nigeria’s borders must be open to legitimate commerce and movement, but secure against terrorists and criminals. They must be monitored with technology, led by intelligence, and integrated into the country’s broader national-security and economic strategy,” Dare said.
The Presidency further questioned what it described as Atiku’s increasingly critical public interventions, asking what new and credible contribution the former Vice President intends to make to Nigeria’s development beyond the reforms already being implemented by the Tinubu administration.
It accused Atiku of appearing increasingly focused on promising to “reverse, reopen, or rename” initiatives already underway.
