Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said President Bola Tinubu will not be arrested or subjected to movement restrictions in the United States if he attends the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Ibrahim made the statement amid renewed discussions and social media claims suggesting that Tinubu could face legal action in the US over allegations linked to his past.
According to the Nigerian envoy, the country’s mission to the United Nations has not received any communication from the US government indicating that the Nigerian president would face arrest or restrictions during the General Assembly.
Ibrahim based his position on Section 11 of the 1947 UN-US Headquarters Agreement, which provides protections for representatives of UN member states travelling to and from the UN headquarters district.
He said the protection also extends to their families, UN officials, officials of specialised agencies and individuals invited to the UN headquarters for official business.
The ambassador also rejected suggestions that social media campaigns could lead to Tinubu’s arrest, insisting that allegations must be established through due process.
Ibrahim argued that an accusation alone does not make an individual a criminal and maintained that anyone making a criminal allegation must be prepared to prove the claim through the appropriate legal process.
He further said that in sensitive criminal matters where a conviction cannot be secured, there could be legal consequences, including possible compensation.
His comments come amid renewed controversy surrounding historical US records linked to investigations involving Tinubu and a civil forfeiture case involving about $460,000. The matter did not result in a criminal conviction against the Nigerian president.
A US-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has been seeking access to records from American law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI and DEA, while making allegations concerning Tinubu’s past. The allegations have not resulted in a criminal conviction against him.
The controversy has also generated political debate over whether Tinubu could encounter difficulties if he travels to New York for the UN General Assembly.
Ibrahim, however, maintained that there was no indication of such restrictions and dismissed the possibility of Tinubu being arrested during the international gathering.
The Nigerian envoy also noted that attendance at the General Assembly is not dependent on individual invitations to presidents, explaining that UN member states are invited to participate and may choose who represents them at the event.
Tinubu is expected to participate in the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, where world leaders and senior government officials are scheduled to gather.
