Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not face arrest or restrictions on his movement in the United States if he attends the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York later this month.
Ibrahim says the Nigerian Mission to the UN has received no communication from US authorities indicating that Tinubu would be subjected to any restrictions during his participation in the annual gathering of world leaders.
The ambassador based his position on the 1947 Agreement between the United Nations and the United States concerning the headquarters of the world body, particularly Section 11, which provides for unimpeded transit to and from the UN headquarters district for representatives of member states and their families.
Under the provision, US federal, state and local authorities are not to impose impediments on the transit of representatives of UN member states, UN officials, officials of specialized agencies and certain other persons travelling on official UN business.
The agreement is intended to ensure that the host country does not prevent representatives of member states from reaching the UN headquarters in New York to participate in official UN activities.
Ibrahim, who also chairs the UN Committee on Budget and Administration, said there was therefore no basis for claims that Tinubu could be prevented from attending the General Assembly or have his movement restricted over allegations concerning his past in the United States.
He also dismissed suggestions that social media campaigns or allegations against the Nigerian president could lead to his arrest. “Social media cannot criminalize or arrest President Bola Tinubu,” Ibrahim said, describing such efforts as futile.
The ambassador also stressed the distinction between an allegation and a legally established offence, arguing that a person cannot simply be treated as a criminal because allegations have been made against them.
His comments come amid renewed controversy in the United States over historical records relating to a narcotics investigation and a civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds associated with Tinubu.
A US-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has intensified its campaign to gain access to records held by American law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The organization has made allegations concerning Tinubu’s alleged links to heroin trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the allegations have not resulted in a criminal conviction against the Nigerian president.
The firm itself has said that there was no plan to arrest Tinubu if he travelled to New York for the UN General Assembly, although it claimed he could face political or public embarrassment during the visit.
The Nigerian government has similarly maintained that the controversy surrounding the American records does not amount to an ongoing criminal prosecution against Tinubu.
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The Presidency has argued that efforts to obtain historical FBI and DEA records should not be presented as evidence that Tinubu is currently facing criminal charges in the United States.
Ibrahim had earlier disclosed that Tinubu is expected to attend the 81st UN General Assembly, which is scheduled to open in New York in September.
The envoy said the President had agreed to participate in the gathering and was expected to take part in several side events focusing on issues including energy, education and healthcare.
The General Debate of the 81st session is scheduled to run from September 22 to September 28, 2026, bringing together presidents, prime ministers and other senior government officials from around the world.
Tinubu personally attended the 78th UN General Assembly in 2023, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the 79th and 80th sessions.
Ibrahim said Tinubu’s participation this year would give Nigeria an opportunity to present its economic and institutional reforms to the international community and engage world leaders on issues affecting the country and the wider West African region.
He added that Nigeria intends to use the UN platform to advance discussions on border security and policing in West Africa, particularly in response to security challenges created by porous borders across the sub-region.
The legal basis cited by Ibrahim dates back to the agreement concluded between the United Nations and the United States concerning the UN headquarters.
Section 11 states that US federal, state and local authorities shall not impose impediments on the transit to or from the headquarters district of representatives of member states, UN officials and their families, as well as certain experts, accredited media representatives and others invited to the headquarters on official business.
The provision has historically been regarded as an important safeguard for the functioning of the UN because representatives of member states must be able to travel to New York to conduct official UN business.
However, the agreement is more precisely a protection against impediments to access to the UN headquarters district rather than a blanket declaration that every visiting head of state enjoys immunity from all US laws or judicial proceedings.
Nevertheless, Ibrahim maintains that the protection afforded to representatives attending official UN business means there is no basis to expect Tinubu to be arrested or prevented from participating in the General Assembly based on the allegations currently circulating.
With both the Nigerian government and the US-based organization involved in the controversy saying there is no known plan to arrest Tinubu during the UNGA, attention is expected to shift to the diplomatic engagements and political issues surrounding the President’s planned visit to New York.
EightElevenMedia
