PHOTO CREDIT: The Sun Nigeria / Presidency / File Photo
Presidency Faults Atiku’s ‘Open Borders’ Promise, Insists Nigeria’s Borders Are Already Open
The Presidency has asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to clarify his recent pledge to “open the borders” if elected, stating that Nigeria’s land borders are already open.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency said Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was reducing a complex security and economic matter to a campaign slogan.

According to the Presidency, the Federal Government reopened most of the country’s land borders on March 14, 2024, and has not closed them since. It added that President Bola Tinubu further reopened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026, a move it said has yielded economic and diplomatic benefits.

The Presidency challenged Atiku to specify which borders he plans to open, and to explain what current controls he intends to relax and what safeguards he would put in place to check terrorism, arms smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes.

“An open border is not an uncontrolled border,” the statement noted, adding that modern border management is about facilitating legitimate trade and movement while stopping criminals and terrorist groups from exploiting entry points.

It stressed that effective border governance depends on immigration controls, customs administration, intelligence sharing, surveillance technology and joint security operations.

Linking the debate to insecurity in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, the Presidency said Nigeria shares borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and faces persistent threats from terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime, making strong border management critical to national security.

Citing the Global Terrorism Index 2026, it stated that about 41 percent of terrorist attacks happen within 50 kilometres of an international border, while about 64 percent occur within 100 kilometres.

The Presidency argued that the heavy presence of the Armed Forces in parts of the North-East and North-West should not be mistaken for border closure, but rather seen as a necessary measure to strengthen border security.

It said while political competition is healthy, statements on national security must be based on facts and clear policy alternatives, and urged aspirants to present concrete plans on border surveillance, intelligence sharing with neighbours, modernization of customs and immigration, technology deployment, and protection of border communities.

The Tinubu administration, it added, remains open to scrutiny based on measurable results in security, economic recovery, border management and citizens’ welfare, but such scrutiny must be factual.

According to the Presidency, Nigeria’s borders should remain open for legitimate commerce and movement, but secured against terrorists and criminal networks through technology-driven and intelligence-led management.
SOURCE: The Sun Nigeria –