N’Djamena / Abuja — November 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
The government of Chad has ordered an immediate closure of its border with neighbouring Nigeria following intelligence that armed elements from northern Nigeria plan to flee into Chadian territory over fears of a forthcoming U.S. military operation. Military sources in the Chadian capital N’Djamena, home to the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), confirmed that President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has placed border security on full lockdown and deployed troops and armoured vehicles across key transit corridors.
The announcement states that the border shutdown is a preventive measure “to safeguard national sovereignty and prevent the infiltration of armed groups or foreign forces under any disguise. This move occurs amid growing regional unease and claims that the United States is preparing military action in West Africa in response to alleged mass killings of Christians in Nigeria. The Chadian government appears to be acting both to head off spill-over violence and to avoid becoming a transit pathway for militants escaping into neighbouring territories.
According to sources, the MNJTF base in N’Djamena has been placed on high alert. The joint task force—which includes forces from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin—has been central to counter-insurgency operations in the Lake Chad Basin region. By deploying along the border, Chad aims to stabilise its zone of control, limit cross-border raids, and signal to Nigeria and other allies that a surge in regional violence will no longer proceed unchecked.
For Nigeria, the development raises multiple implications:
-
It complicates the possible logistics of any foreign military action or movement of militants across borders.
-
It underlines regional coordination concerns, as neighbouring states adjust their policies in light of Nigeria’s volatile security situation.
-
It signals increasing regional anxiety over the overlap of insurgency, terrorism, and state sovereignty.
Security analysts note that border closures are a common reactive measure in the Lake Chad Basin, where insurgent groups such as Boko Haram exploit weak borders and porous frontiers to shift operations across countries. Yet the timing of this specific closure — tied to alleged U.S. military-planning rumours — suggests a new layer of geopolitical concern beyond local insurgency dynamics.
Whether Chad’s move will disrupt militant retreat routes or shift the theatre of violence remains to be seen. Nigeria’s federal authorities will need to engage in diplomatic discussions with N’Djamena, even as they coordinate internal security responses. For now, the shutdown reflects how Nigeria’s security challenges are not just internal—they are progressively regional.