Nigeria, April 30 -- The 9 February official reopening of the Tsamiya-Kamba corridor between Nigeria, Niger and Benin could offer a much-needed boost to trade, supply chains and cross-border livelihoods after seven years of border closures and diplomatic tensions.

But unless the three states also address the insecurity and mistrust shaping their borderlands, gains may prove short-lived.

The corridor, located in Nigeria's Kebbi State, restored the movement of goods and people between Nigeria and Niger. The decision came shortly after trade resumed between Benin and Niger, effectively reactivating a strategic route linking Segbana in Benin to Sabon Birni in Niger through Tsamiya and Kamba in northwestern Nigeria.

The corridor was shut in...