President Bola Tinubu and members of his family “enjoy unimpeded transit in the United States and cannot be arrested while attending the United Nations General Assembly,” Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said.
Ibrahim, who is also Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Budget and Administration, stated that the Nigerian Mission in New York had received “no notification from the US government imposing any restriction on Tinubu’s movement during the UNGA.”
He made the remarks in a statement issued on Sunday by the Office of the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York.Citing Section 11 of the 1947 UN-U.S.
Agreement, Ibrahim said representatives of member states and their families are protected from impediments to transit to and from the UN headquarters district.
The provision requires US federal, state and local authorities to refrain from imposing restrictions on the movement of such representatives, their families, UN officials, specialised agencies and persons invited to the headquarters district on official business.
The statement comes amid an ongoing legal dispute in the United States over access to records relating to Tinubu.
On July 15, it was reported that Tinubu was expected to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Presidency has dismissed suggestions that he faces a criminal case in the US, describing an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in Washington, DC, as a civil records-disclosure matter.
The case was filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan. The Presidency stated that it “is not a criminal case against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, nor has the court found him guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.”
Against this background, Ibrahim emphasised that allegations should not be treated as established criminal offences.
“An allegation is not a crime,” he said, insisting that criminal accusations must be established through due process and proved beyond reasonable doubt before conviction.
He recalled that a former Nigerian president, not Tinubu was once restricted to a 10-kilometre radius from the UN headquarters in connection with a drug-related allegation that was never proved.
Ibrahim added that efforts on social media to criminalise or secure the arrest of Tinubu would ultimately prove futile.On attendance at the UN General Assembly, he noted that it is ultimately a matter of national priority.
More than 60 per cent of the current speaking list comprises vice presidents and foreign ministers, meaning presidents can delegate representation when necessary.
He further explained that US law-enforcement authorities may invite individuals to provide information or statements during investigations and may collect identifying details such as personal and family history, educational records and fingerprints.
Such information is used to establish links between individuals, groups and networks but remains protected and is not necessarily made public.
Ibrahim urged Nigerians to hold the national flag in high esteem and support the economic transformation being pursued under President Tinubu.
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