Presidency faults Atiku’s proposal to reopen borders

The Nigerian Presidency has responded to a campaign pledge by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, to reopen the country's borders if elected. According to the Presidency, Nigeria's land borders are already open, having been reopened on March 14, 2024, and there has been no reversal of this decision.

The Presidency, through Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, expressed confusion over which borders Atiku intends to reopen. Dare also mentioned that President Bola Tinubu personally opened the Kamba border in Kebbi State on February 14, 2026. The Presidency suggested that if Atiku means relaxing existing border controls, Nigerians deserve specifics on which controls he intends to remove and why.

The Presidency described Atiku's pledge as an attempt to deceive Nigerians, alleging that the former Vice President is willing to say anything to attract and deceive the politically gullible. According to Punch, the Presidency stated that an open border is not an uncontrolled border, and modern border management aims to facilitate legitimate movement and trade while preventing criminals and terrorist organisations from exploiting the same channels.

Brief written by urgent.news from Premium Times, Punch, Punch Nigeria, Daily Trust — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.