KEY POINTS
- Kebbi border reopening releases over 2,000 trucks.
- Kebbi border reopening revives Nigeria-Benin-Niger trade.
- Kebbi border reopening eases pressure on transporters.
More than 2,000 trucks stranded for months at Nigeria’s borders with Benin and the Niger Republic have begun moving after the federal government reopened the Kamba and Tsamiya border posts in Kebbi State.
The reopening, carried out on Monday, follows a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at restoring legitimate cross-border trade while easing supply bottlenecks caused by prolonged security-related closures.
Trucks that had been stuck on both sides of the border have started transiting through Kebbi, offering relief to traders, transporters and border communities whose livelihoods were disrupted.
Kebbi border reopening restores trade flows
The Kebbi Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mahmoud Matawalle-Ibrahim, formally reopened the border corridors at Kamba in Dandi Local Government Area, allowing trucks from Benin and Niger to resume movement.
He said authorities took the decision to facilitate the transit of legitimate goods and revive economic activity between Nigeria and its neighbours after months of restricted movement caused by security concerns. According to him, trucks earlier cleared at the Tsamiya border post have already begun moving through the Kamba corridor toward the Tunga Jado border in the Niger Republic.
The reopening covers border routes in both Dandi and Bagudo local government areas, with customs officials coordinating movement to ensure compliance with existing trade and security protocols.
Kebbi border reopening boosts regional confidence
Matawalle-Ibrahim said the development is expected to strengthen commercial ties with Benin and Niger while improving joint security coordination along border communities.
Officials in neighbouring Niger Republic welcomed the move. Commander Maigiro Yahaya-Tubil said the reopening would stimulate regional economies and relieve pressure on transport operators whose trucks had remained immobilised for months. “We are happy that our trucks can now move freely through Nigeria to their destinations,” he said.
Local leaders also said the decision would restore economic activity in border towns. The District Head of Kamba, Alhaji Muhammed Sarkin-Shikon-Kamba, described the reopening as a major relief for residents who depend on cross-border trade.
He said the resumption of traffic would help revive livelihoods and commercial activity disrupted by the closure, thanking the federal government for approving the reopening. The move marks a step toward normalising trade flows in the north-west border region as Nigeria balances security concerns with economic recovery.
