A 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Saratu Jibo, has reportedly disappeared after travelling from Lagos to Doha, Qatar, aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408 on Tuesday.
Her brother, Jonathan Jibo, raised concerns in a post on his X account on Saturday, stating that the family had been unable to reach her for over 48 hours after the aircraft arrived safely in Doha.
According to him, Saratu was in contact with her family through WhatsApp while still onboard the flight after connecting to the plane’s Wi-Fi. However, she has not been reachable since that communication.
Meanwhile, Oyintiloye dismissed the claim as political propaganda intended to divert Nigerians’ attention. He urged both Nigerians and the media to refrain from what he described as “trial by document”.
He argued that the controversy reflected a repeated pattern of allegations against Tinubu, especially during significant periods in his political journey. The former lawmaker noted that Tinubu had spent several decades in Nigerian politics and had encountered numerous controversies over the years.
He recalled that questions surrounding Tinubu’s academic qualifications sparked widespread public and media discussions during his two terms as Lagos State Governor between 1999 and 2007. Similar allegations, he added, emerged again during the 2023 presidential election campaign.
Oyintiloye accused opposition figures of “recycling allegations bordering on certificate forgery, criminality and drug trafficking instead of engaging Nigerians on substantive issues of governance”.
He challenged the opposition to present realistic alternatives through well-defined policies and programmes that could positively impact Nigerians’ lives.
The former lawmaker maintained that no court in the United States had reopened the case or ordered a criminal retrial involving Tinubu. He also stated that no American judge had found the President guilty of drug trafficking.
According to Oyintiloye, the controversy centres on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking access to documents held by U.S. law-enforcement agencies and not a criminal trial or retrial.
“An FOIA case is about access to government records. It is not a criminal trial, a retrial or a judicial declaration of guilt,” he said.
Oyintiloye further argued that the existence of records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) should not automatically be considered evidence of criminal conduct.
He explained that investigative documents may contain unverified allegations, leads, or information provided by third parties.
The APC chieftain also referred to FOIA Exemption 7(C), which protects certain law-enforcement records when their disclosure could result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
Oyintiloye said Nigeria’s democratic system should progress beyond personal attacks and smear campaigns. He stressed that political leaders should instead be assessed based on their ideas, manifestoes, track records and performance.
He urged Nigerians to critically examine political claims and understand the difference between allegations, investigations, charges and convictions.
“Privacy is not a crime. An investigation is not a conviction. A document is not automatically a fact simply because it bears the seal of a government agency.
“The opposition should tell us their manifesto, not blackmail.
Tell Nigerians what you have on the table and why they should vote for you,” he said.
