FBI's Investigation Dossier on Tinubu: 'Why President Can't be Arrested in US,' Appointee Speaks
- A top appointee of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, addressed concerns about his principal's safety at UNGA 81
- Ibrahim cited Section 11 of the 1947 UN-United States Agreement, which protects member state representatives from any restrictions during transit
- The ambassador revealed that a former Nigerian president was once restricted to a 10-kilometre radius from UN headquarters over a drug-related matter
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FCT, Abuja - Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has said President Bola Tinubu and members of his family enjoy full protection from arrest or any form of restrictions while in the United States (US) for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The 81st session of the UNGA opens on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, with the high-level General Debate running from September 22 to September 28, 2026.
Source: Facebook
As reported by The Nation on Sunday, September 6, Ibrahim, who also chairs the UN Committee on Budget and Administration, said the Nigerian Mission in New York had received no communication from the US government indicating any restrictions on the president’s movement during the UN General Assembly.
The Nigerian Tribune also reported Ibrahim’s position.
Recall that critics of President Tinubu submitted a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests between 2022 and 2023 to US government agencies seeking records relating to the Nigerian leader.
The requests concerned records from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service and US attorneys’ offices in Illinois and Indiana. The records stemmed from charging decisions concerning a Chicago narcotics ring that was active in the early 1990s.
Subsequently, the FBI submitted records relating to the 1993 investigation involving President Tinubu to a federal judge in Washington, D.C., but the documents will remain under seal for now.
Tinubu protected under UN-US agreement
Making comments on the issue, which has attracted significant public attention, Ambassador Ibrahim cited Section 11 of the 1947 UN-US Agreement as the legal basis for his principal’s protection. He stated that the provision requires federal, state, and local authorities in the United States to refrain from imposing any impediment on the transit of member state representatives, their families, UN officials, and persons invited to the UN headquarters district on official business.
Ibrahim added that member states are invited to participate in the UNGA as institutions, not individual leaders in a personal capacity. He noted that more than 60 per cent of the current UNGA speaking list comprises vice presidents and foreign ministers, meaning a president may delegate representation based on national priorities.
Ex-Nigerian president 'restricted over drug allegation'
Ibrahim disclosed that a former Nigerian president, whom he did not name and who is not President Tinubu, was once restricted to a 10-kilometre radius from UN headquarters while attending the UNGA over a drug-related allegation. He said the allegation in that case was never proved.
The ambassador stressed that a criminal allegation does not, on its own, amount to a crime, and that guilt must be established through due process.
He said:
"Anyone making a criminal allegation must be prepared to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt."
The former National Assembly member added that where a conviction cannot be secured in a sensitive criminal matter, the consequences could include substantial compensation.
Source: Twitter
Furthermore, Ibrahim clarified how the United States law-enforcement system operates, explaining that individuals may be invited to provide information during an investigation. He said personal details collected during such processes, including family background, educational history, fingerprints, and other identifying information, are protected and are not necessarily meant for public disclosure.
On the role of online commentary in the matter, the ambassador was direct:
"Social media cannot criminalise or arrest President Bola Tinubu, no matter how much the opposition invested in it, those efforts will only end as an exercise in futility."
He urged Nigerians to hold the national flag in high esteem and support what he called the economic transformation being led by President Tinubu.
Tinubu tells US court to block FBI
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Tinubu filed a response in a US district court arguing that records sought by a researcher are protected under US privacy law.
The case stems from FOIA requests filed by Aaron Greenspan seeking the FBI and DEA files linked to a Chicago drug-involvement investigation from the early 1990s.
Tinubu's lawyers argued that personal curiosity about a foreign leader does not meet the legal threshold for public interest under FOIA.
Source: Legit.ng
