UN ENVOY SAYS TINUBU, FAMILY FACE NO US ARREST THREAT DURING UNGA

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has dismissed speculation that President Bola Tinubu or members of his family could face arrest or restrictions while in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly. Ibrahim said the Nigerian Mission in New York had received no notification from the US authorities indicating any restriction on the President’s movement during the high-level gathering.

Ibrahim, who also chairs the UN Committee on Budget and Administration, based his position on Section 11 of the 1947 UN-US Agreement. He explained that representatives of UN member states, their families, UN officials and other persons invited to the UN headquarters district for official business are protected from impediments to their transit to and from the area. According to him, US federal, state and local authorities are expected to respect those provisions.

The Nigerian envoy also addressed reports and social media claims suggesting that Tinubu could be arrested during the UNGA. He 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 over a drug-related allegation. Ibrahim noted that the allegation in that case was never proven, stressing that an allegation does not automatically amount to a criminal offence.

Ibrahim further explained that US law-enforcement authorities can invite individuals to provide information during investigations and may collect identifying details such as personal history, family information, educational records and fingerprints. However, he said such investigative procedures should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of criminal liability. He maintained that criminal allegations must be established through due process and proven beyond reasonable doubt before a conviction can be secured.

The ambassador urged Nigerians to disregard what he described as attempts on social media to portray the President as being at risk of arrest in the United States. He also called on citizens to support Nigeria’s national interests and the economic transformation agenda of the Tinubu administration, while stressing the importance of Nigeria’s participation in the UNGA and its diplomatic engagements.