President Bola Tinubu will not face arrest or restrictions on his movement in the United States if he attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said.
Ibrahim said the Nigerian Mission to the UN had not received any communication from the United States government indicating that Tinubu would be subjected to restrictions during the General Assembly.
The ambassador made the clarification amid renewed discussions over allegations relating to Tinubu’s past in the United States and claims that the Nigerian president could face legal action during his planned participation in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Ibrahim, who chairs the United Nations Committee on Budget and Administration, said the protection enjoyed by representatives of UN member states was provided for under Section 11 of the 1947 UN-U.S. Agreement.
He explained that the agreement protects representatives of member states and their families from impediments while travelling to and from the UN headquarters district.
The provision, according to him, also covers UN officials, officials of specialised agencies and people invited to the headquarters district for official business.
Ibrahim therefore said there was no indication that Tinubu’s movement would be restricted during the UNGA.
He also sought to draw a distinction between allegations made against an individual and an offence established through the legal process.
According to him, simply accusing someone of a crime does not make that person a criminal, stressing that allegations must be tested through due process.
Ibrahim said anyone making a criminal allegation should be prepared to prove it beyond reasonable doubt.
He added that “where a conviction cannot be secured in a sensitive criminal matter, the consequences could include substantial compensation.”
The ambassador further dismissed the possibility of attempts made through social media resulting in Tinubu’s arrest.
According to him, “social media cannot criminalise or arrest President Bola Tinubu, no matter how much the opposition invested in it, those efforts will only end as an exercise in futility.”
His comments come against the backdrop of a renewed dispute in the United States over historical records relating to a narcotics investigation involving people associated with Tinubu.
US authorities had previously pursued a civil forfeiture case involving about $460,000 connected to Tinubu. The matter, however, did not result in a criminal conviction against him.
The controversy has resurfaced following efforts by the US-based political advisory and lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York to obtain records from American law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The firm has made allegations linking Tinubu to heroin trafficking during the 1980s and 1990s, but the claims have not resulted in a criminal conviction against the Nigerian president.
In a statement posted on its verified X account, the organisation said there was “no plan to arrest Nigerian President Bola Tinubu over his alleged involvement in heroin smuggling if he attends the United Nations General Assembly this month.”
The firm, however, claimed that Tinubu could be subjected to a publicity campaign and embarrassed in New York.
It also said, “We will continue to ensure that the White House and Congress fully understand that Nigerian President Tinubu is an alleged heroin trafficker and a liability to President Trump and the United States.”
The organisation has also opposed the possibility of a private meeting between Tinubu and US President Donald Trump during the UNGA, claiming that members of the Trump administration were aware of the allegations surrounding the Nigerian president.
The Nigerian government has rejected attempts to present the dispute over the US records as evidence of an ongoing criminal prosecution against Tinubu.
Bola Tinubu; FBI
The Presidency has maintained that the current legal dispute is about access to government records and does not establish that Tinubu has been charged with heroin trafficking in the United States.
The issue has nevertheless attracted renewed political attention ahead of the UN General Assembly, particularly because of the possibility of Tinubu travelling to New York.
Ibrahim also pointed out that attendance at the General Assembly is not based on personal invitations issued to individual presidents. Rather, member states are invited to participate in the high-level event.
He noted that more than 60 per cent of the current speaking list comprises vice presidents and foreign ministers representing their countries.
He said this means a president can choose to delegate the responsibility of representing the country, depending on national priorities.
The envoy recalled that a former Nigerian president, whom he stressed was not Tinubu, had previously been restricted to a 10-kilometre radius from the UN headquarters while attending the General Assembly in relation to a drug-related allegation.
Ibrahim said the allegation in that case was never proved, using it to emphasise the importance of due process in criminal matters.
He further explained that US law-enforcement authorities can invite people to provide information or make statements during investigations.
Such investigations, he said, may involve the collection of personal information such as family background, personal history, parental records, information about children, educational history and fingerprints.
According to Ibrahim, investigators may use such information to establish relationships between individuals, groups and networks.
He, however, said information gathered during investigations is protected and should not automatically be regarded as material that must be released publicly, particularly in cases involving financial or other criminal allegations.
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