13/08/2026
: BREAKING!!! President Bola Tinubu Quickly Cancels Trip To The United States Of America, After Legal And Diplomatic Advice And Intelligence Report Of Possible Arrest At The Airport, Detention And Criminal Charges, Allegedly; Delegates NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, Others, For The International Engagement In Washington DC
Reports reaching "Atiku Is For The People" global movement on Thursday morning, indicate that there is growing speculation in Abuja, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have refused to travel to the United States of America, USA, over fears of possible arrest, detention and criminal charges, linked to lingering drug-related allegations in the USA against him; opting instead, to send a high-level Nigerian Delegation, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to Washington DC.
Recall, that on Wednesday, President Tinubu dispatched a high profile Delegation to the USA. The members of the Nigerian Delegation include: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye; and Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, was also part of the Nigerian Delegation.
As at August 2026, President Tinubu has not visited the United States since President Donald Trump returned to power in January 2024. The Presidency has repeatedly denied reports of a planned trip, and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the USA, Kayode Are, said in mid-2026, that he is “optimistic that President Bola Tinubu could undertake an official visit to Washington, before the end of his tenure”, confirming that no such visit has taken place yet.
The Nigerian Delegation to Washington DC, is attending the United States-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting, with further engagements scheduled to focus on counter-terrorism measures, progress and the next steps between both countries.
A bilateral Defence meeting is also set for Thursday.
The Working Group was formed in response to the re-designation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC, by United States President.
A Senior Government source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the decision of President Tinubu to stay back, was taken “after legal and diplomatic advice regarding ongoing matters in US Courts tied to old drug-related cases”.
“The President did not want to create any diplomatic incident. That is why NSA Ribadu is leading with a full Cabinet Team”, the source said.
On the drugs issue specifically, President Trump has made direct public statements linking Nigeria to narcotics and criminal concerns.
In statements in 2025, President Trump warned that the USA could take action, if Nigeria fails to address what he described as criminal and terrorist activities, including drug-related crimes, and threatened to cut aid and assistance. President Trump’s administration has kept pressure on Nigeria over security, religious violence and transnational crime.