President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria now claims head of state immunity and leans on the full weight of his country to keep the US Justice Department from making public any alleged reports about his involvement in heroin trafficking.
Sources say the telephone lines linking Abuja and Washington have stayed busy without a break. Is this the move of a man with nothing to hide?
The statement also focused heavily on comments attributed to U.S. Attorney Pirro. It argued that the Department of Justice had not declared the allegations against Tinubu false and had not said that the documents would never be released. Instead, according to the statement, the department had argued that some of the information was so sensitive that a judge should review it before deciding whether it could be made public.
That position, the statement argued, raises further questions about what the records contain and why the material is considered highly sensitive.
However, the claims in the X statement are allegations and should not be treated as established facts. A claim that documents are sensitive does not by itself prove that the allegations they may relate to are true.
The statement went on to question whether any past agreements or dealings could have contributed to the classification of the information as sensitive. It also challenged what it described as efforts by Tinubu to secure greater access to U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the post, Tinubu’s reported efforts to have Trump invite him to the White House, publicly endorse him and meet him during the United Nations General Assembly next month were unlikely to succeed.
The statement concluded by arguing that the credibility of the United States and the Trump administration should take priority over allegations involving any individual, including Tinubu.
The claims come amid continued public attention around allegations concerning Tinubu’s past and his dealings with U.S. authorities. Any final conclusion about the allegations would depend on official court records, government documents and evidence that can be independently verified.
For now, the central question remains whether the sensitive material referenced by U.S. authorities will eventually become public and, if so, what it actually contains.
