On March 27, 2023, a Twitter user tweeted a picture with the caption “If Bola Tinubu becomes President, the citizens of Nigeria are going to go through hell trying to access Western nations. Please, read the Kingpin act. 😭”
Claim: Did Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s President-elect, violate any part of the US Kingpin Act? Will the “Western Nations” sanction Nigeria if Tinubu is sworn-in as the President?
Verification:
The CDD Election War Room found that the image attached to the tweet is an excerpt from a blog, “NkirukaNistorian.” The article, which has gone viral is titled “SPECIAL REPORT: Implications of US’ Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for Tinubu presidency.”
We found that Bola Tinubu alongside K.O Tinubu and Alhaja Mogaji, forfeited $460,000 traced to their Heritage Bank account, in the United States.
However, they were only indicted, not convicted for any drug-related dealings.
This finding can be corroborated by a letter sent by the American Consulate in Lagos in February 2003.
The letter, received by Tafa Balogun, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), showed that Bola Tinubu has “no criminal arrest records, wants or warrants” in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Similarly, the court affidavit of July 26, 1993, (section 2) shows that the fund was traced to Bola Tinubu, K.O Tinubu and Alhaja Mogaji’s account and was settled as a civil forfeiture case.
The affidavit reads “there is probable cause to believe that funds in certain bank accounts controlled by Bola Tinubu were involved in financial transactions in violation of USC sections and represents proceeds of drug trafficking. Therefore, these funds are (therefore) forfeitable to the US.”
Also, we found that Bola Tinubu is a claimant to the bank account and not a defendant in the drug trafficking and money-laundering suit.
Furthermore, the CDD Election War Room discovered that the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act is a US law that imposes sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in international narcotics trafficking.
However, the act states that “the application of the Kingpin Act to a foreign country is determined on a case-by-case basis and involves a complex assessment of various factors, including the nature and extent of the drug trafficking involved and the response of the country to drug-related issues.”
Verdict
The claim that Tinubu was convicted of drug trafficking and would be affected by the US Kingpin sanction when he becomes president is false. Also, there is no evidence or precedence that “western nations” will mete out severe sanctions on Nigerians when Tinubu is sworn in as the president.
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