During a high-level conference on regional security held on June 3 in Abuja, General Christopher Musa, Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Armed Forces, proposed a rather radical measure: the complete closure of Nigeria’s land borders with its neighbors, including Benin, to contain the spread of jihadist groups active in the sub-region.
Speaking before an audience of top military officials, strategy experts, and representatives from ECOWAS states, General Musa justified his proposal by citing “the urgency of curbing the uncontrolled cross-border movement of terrorist elements, weapons, and logistical resources.” According to him, “the relaxation of border controls is currently one of the weak links in collective security in West Africa.”
Nigeria, facing more than a decade of Boko Haram insurgency and the proliferation of groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Lake Chad Basin, struggles to contain the threat despite intensified military efforts and support from regional partners. While border porosity remains a well-identified problem, the proposed solution is already raising serious questions about its feasibility and its economic and diplomatic consequences.
On the side of neighboring countries, the reaction remains cautious. In Cotonou, no official statement has yet been made, but sources close to the Beninese Ministry of Foreign Affairs express a certain concern about the implications of such a decision, particularly on cross-border trade and the free movement of people: principles enshrined in ECOWAS texts.
Observers also highlight the risk of isolation that such a lockdown could bring for Nigeria, the main economic heavyweight in the region. “You can’t fight a transnational threat by building walls,” analyzes a regional geopolitics expert. “The response must be coordinated, integrated, and take into account local socioeconomic realities.”
While General Musa’s proposal is for now just a working hypothesis, it reflects a noticeable hardening of security discourse in Nigeria. It also highlights the growing tension between security imperatives and the demands of regional integration, in a West Africa still facing shifting and multifaceted threats.
In the coming weeks, the debate is expected to intensify within regional bodies, as member states seek to jointly redefine the contours of a more effective security strategy without compromising the achievements in cross-border cooperation.