A letter purportedly written by President Bola Tinubu to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres over an alleged drug-related case in Chicago is fabricated, findings by Politics Nigeria have shown.
The letter, dated September 19 and titled “Request for Goodwill and Diplomatic Engagement Regarding My Past Drug-Related Case in Chicago”, surfaced on social media during the week, eliciting reactions from several netizens.
In the purported document, Tinubu allegedly appealed to Guterres to engage the United States government and President Donald Trump over what it described as his “past drug-related case” in Chicago.
The purported letter also asked the UN General Secretary to intervene and facilitate the cancellation or closure of the alleged case.
It further claimed that such an intervention would be in the interest of “justice, fairness and the promotion of reconciliation.” The letter stated that the alleged incident occurred many years ago and that Tinubu had since devoted his life to public service, democratic governance and the development of Nigeria.
It concluded by purportedly assuring Guterres that Nigeria remains committed to the rule of law, international cooperation and working with the United Nations and other global partners.
“In view of the strong and enduring partnership between Nigeria, the United Nations and the United States, I respectfully appeal to you, Your Excellency, to kindly use your good offices to engage with the Government of the United States, and in particular, President Donald J. Trump, to consider intervening in the matter and facilitating the cancellation or closure of the said case,” the letter partly read.
How The Letter Surfaced
Among the netizens who shared the purported letter on Facebook was Mubarak Abdullahi, who describes himself as an activist, advocate and public figure.
At the time of filing this report, Abdullahi’s post had garnered 477 likes, 135 comments and 48 shares.
In the caption accompanying the purported letter, Abdullahi wrote: “Atiku is coming….”
Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress and one of the contenders seeking the presidency in the 2027 election.
Facts On Alleged Drug Case
Aaron Greenspan, a US journalist, had filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit in a Washington, DC court seeking the release of investigation details relating to President Bola Tinubu and a 1993 drug case in Chicago.
Greenspan sought records from US law-enforcement agencies relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu and other individuals.
The litigation has involved records held by agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Court proceedings show that the agencies had previously been required to move beyond their initial refusal to confirm or deny whether responsive records existed.
However, the Nigerian Presidency in August dismissed reports surrounding the ongoing Freedom of Information Act case involving records on Tinubu before a United States federal court in Washington, DC.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency stressed that the matter is a civil dispute over access to government records and does not constitute a criminal case against Tinubu.
Onanuga said the case, pending before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, had not resulted in any finding of criminal wrongdoing against the Nigerian President.
The clarification came amid renewed public discussion over records sought from US government agencies concerning Tinubu.
According to the Presidency, the matter dates back to 2022, when Greenspan submitted FOIA requests to several US government agencies seeking records relating to Tinubu.
The agencies either withheld some records or declined to confirm or deny their existence, prompting Greenspan to institute Civil Action No. 23-1816 before the Washington, DC federal court in 2023.
The court subsequently allowed Tinubu to participate in the proceedings as an intervenor.
The Letter And Its Red Flags
Although there has been no specific rebuttal from the Presidency concerning the purported letter, Politics Nigeria identified several red flags that indicate that the document is not an authentic presidential communication.
First is the unofficial logo.
The letterhead uses what appears to be an AI-generated, campaign-style logo incorporating the Nigerian coat of arms.
Checks of previous official communications from President Tinubu show that presidential letters do not ordinarily carry such a graphic in the manner displayed on the purported document.
Another red flag is the signature.
The signature on the purported letter differs noticeably from publicly available samples of Tinubu’s signature, raising serious questions about its authenticity.
The date format is another red flag.
The purported letter is dated “19th September, 2026.” However, previous official communications from the President have generally used the month-day-year format rather than the format used on the document.
Beyond the formatting inconsistencies, there is also no credible evidence showing that Tinubu sent such a letter to Guterres or that the UN Secretary-General was asked to intervene in the US matter.
Verdict
The purported letter did not emanate from President Bola Tinubu or the Presidency. It is conspicuously fabricated.
