The Presidency has faulted former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his promise to “open the borders” if elected president in 2027, insisting that Nigeria’s land borders are already open.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, 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.
Dare also noted that President Bola Tinubu opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026, describing the development as one that had generated economic and diplomatic benefits.
He therefore questioned which borders Atiku intended to open, arguing that the former vice president should clarify whether he meant removing 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,” Dare said.
The Presidency 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 from exploiting international crossings.
According to Dare, effective border management requires immigration controls, customs administration, intelligence sharing, surveillance technology and coordinated security operations.
He said the issue was particularly important given Nigeria’s location within the volatile Sahel and Lake Chad regions and its borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The Presidency cited the Global Terrorism Index 2026, which it said indicates 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.
Dare argued that the figures underscore the importance of effective border security, particularly as terrorist and criminal networks increasingly operate across national boundaries.
He said Nigeria’s security operations along the North-East and North-West corridors should therefore not be interpreted as evidence that the country’s borders are closed.
Rather, he described the deployment of the Armed Forces and other security agencies in the border regions as part of responsible national border-security measures.
The Presidency urged Atiku, as a former vice president and presidential candidate, to distinguish between facilitating legitimate cross-border activities and removing security controls.
Dare said political competition was legitimate in a democracy but maintained that statements concerning national security and economic policy should be based on facts, institutional understanding and clearly defined alternative policies.
