UNGA: Tinubu and family have unrestricted US transit, envoy says

Nigeria's ambassador to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, says President Bola Tinubu and members of his family can move freely in the United States while attending the U.N. General Assembly and cannot be arrested there in connection with their attendance.

In a statement issued by Nigeria's permanent mission in New York, Ibrahim said the mission had received no notification from the U.S. government restricting Tinubu's movement during the assembly. He pointed to Section 11 of the 1947 U.N.-U.S. agreement, which requires federal, state and local authorities to avoid impeding the movement of representatives of member states, their families, U.N. officials and others invited to U.N. headquarters on official business.

Ibrahim said attending the General Assembly remained a matter of national priority, although countries could delegate representation when necessary. More than 60 percent of the current speakers' list, he said, consists of vice presidents and foreign ministers speaking for their countries.

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An allegation does not constitute a crime.

The envoy recalled that a former Nigerian president, not Tinubu, had once been restricted to a 10-kilometre radius around U.N. headquarters over a drug-related allegation. He said the allegation was never proved, stressing that an accusation does not constitute a crime and that criminal charges must be established through due process and proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Ibrahim also said U.S. law-enforcement agencies may invite people to provide information during investigations and collect identifying details, including family history, education records and fingerprints. He said such information is protected and is not necessarily made public. He urged Nigerians to respect the national flag and support what he described as Tinubu's economic transformation agenda.

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Criminal accusations must be established through due process and proved beyond reasonable doubt before conviction.