Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said President Bola Tinubu and members of his family are not subject to restrictions on movement or arrest while attending the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.

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 restriction on Tinubu’s movement during the 81st UNGA.

He made the clarification in a statement issued on Sunday by the Office of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York.

The envoy cited Section 11 of the 1947 UN-US Headquarters Agreement, which he said protects representatives of UN member states and their families from restrictions that could impede their transit to and from the UN headquarters district.

According to him, the provision requires US federal, state and local authorities to avoid imposing movement restrictions on member-state representatives, their families, UN officials and other persons invited to the headquarters district for official business.

Ibrahim’s comments come amid an ongoing legal dispute in Washington, DC, involving requests for US government records concerning Tinubu.

The Presidency had earlier dismissed claims that Tinubu was facing a criminal case in the United States, explaining that the matter was a civil lawsuit concerning access to government records under the Freedom of Information Act.

The case was initiated by US transparency activist Aaron Greenspan after he filed FOIA requests in 2022 seeking records from several American government agencies. He subsequently instituted Civil Action No. 23-1816 in 2023, with Tinubu later allowed to participate in the proceedings as an intervenor.

The dispute has also drawn political attention in Nigeria, with the Allied Peoples Movement calling on US authorities to release findings from an FBI investigation concerning alleged links between Tinubu and drug trafficking.

Ibrahim, however, cautioned against treating allegations as established criminal offences, stressing that accusations must be tested through due process and proved beyond reasonable doubt before a conviction can be reached.

“An allegation is not a crime,” he said.

The ambassador recalled that a former Nigerian president, whom he clarified was not Tinubu, had previously faced a movement restriction within a 10-kilometre radius of the UN headquarters over a drug-related allegation. He said the allegation was ultimately not established.

Ibrahim also dismissed suggestions that social media campaigns could result in Tinubu’s arrest during the UN General Assembly.

On participation in the annual UN gathering, he said countries could choose to send senior officials other than their presidents, noting that more than 60 per cent of the current speaking list comprised vice presidents and foreign ministers.

He added that US law-enforcement agencies could invite individuals to provide information during investigations and collect personal details, including family, educational and identification records.

According to Ibrahim, such information can assist investigators in establishing links between individuals and networks, while investigative records are generally protected and are not automatically made public.

He urged Nigerians to continue to support the country and uphold the national flag, while backing the economic reforms being pursued by the Tinubu administration.