Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not face arrest or any restriction on his movement in the United States if he attends the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, citing the 1947 UN-US Headquarters Agreement as the legal basis for his diplomatic immunity. The envoy's statement, made on Sunday, September 6, 2026, directly addresses growing speculation and opposition concerns that the President could be detained over decades-old drug trafficking allegations stemming from a Chicago heroin investigation in the early 1990s.
Ibrahim, who also chairs the UN Committee on Budget and Administration, stated that the Nigerian Mission to the UN has received no communication from the US government indicating any restrictions on Tinubu's movement. He cited Section 11 of the 1947 UN-US Headquarters Agreement, which protects representatives of member states and their families from "impediments" while traveling to and from the UN headquarters district. "Social media cannot criminalise or arrest President Bola Tinubu, no matter how much the opposition invested in it," Ibrahim said. He stressed that allegations must be tested through due process and that "where a conviction cannot be secured in a sensitive criminal matter, the consequences could include substantial compensation".
The ambassador also drew a notable historical parallel, revealing that a former Nigerian president—whom he did not name—was once restricted to a 10-kilometre radius from the UN headquarters while attending the UNGA in connection with a drug-related matter. According to Ibrahim, the allegation in that case was never proved, underscoring his argument that an allegation does not constitute a crime.
However, a United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, which has been retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has contradicted the ambassador's assurance. While the firm confirmed that Tinubu would not be arrested, it warned that he would face significant public embarrassment in New York. "The FBI claims that Tinubu was part of a criminal organisation that smuggled heroin from Nigeria into the United States during the 1980s and 1990s," the firm stated, adding that it would continue to brief the White House and Congress on the allegations.
The controversy has reignited following a renewed legal battle in the US over the release of FBI and DEA records related to the investigation. While US authorities pursued a civil forfeiture case involving approximately $460,000 connected to Tinubu, he was never criminally charged or convicted. As the President prepares for his UNGA trip, the question remains whether diplomatic immunity will shield him from the shadow of an investigation that continues to haunt his presidency—or whether the firm's prediction of embarrassment will prove more accurate than the ambassador's assurances.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments