The Nigerian government has dismissed concerns over a U.S. court order demanding that federal agencies release documents tied to past investigations involving President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that MCC had reported that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by U.S. citizen Aaron Greenspan motivated the move by court.
Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the FBI and DEA must provide the requested documents, stating their continued secrecy is unjustifiable.
The court deemed their standard “Glomar” response, where agencies neither confirm nor deny the existence of the records, unacceptable, especially since both agencies had previously acknowledged their investigations involving Tinubu.
Greenspan had initiated legal action in June 2023, accusing several U.S. agencies, including the EOUSA, FBI, DEA, IRS, State Department, and CIA, of ignoring his 12 FOIA applications submitted over the prior year.
He was seeking records related to Tinubu and three others—Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Akande, and Abiodun Agbele—allegedly linked to a heroin distribution network active in the 1990s.
Although an emergency motion to speed up the process was denied in October 2023, the case continued, with Tinubu attempting to block the release on privacy grounds.
However, the court sided with transparency advocates, asserting that secrecy could no longer be defended under FOIA.
The CIA, however, was excluded from the release order, as Greenspan had not proven the agency publicly acknowledged any related records.
Responding to the development, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s adviser on information and strategy, told journalists that the documents are not new and have been in circulation for decades.
“They’ve been around for more than 30 years. They do not indict the President in any way,” he said, confirming that legal experts are reviewing the latest court decision.
The judge directed all involved parties—except the CIA—to file a joint status report by May 2 to address any outstanding issues related to the FOIA releases, which now largely focus on Tinubu and Agbele.
While public interest has been reignited, no criminal charges have ever been filed against President Tinubu in the United States.
The court’s decision merely compels the release of documents in accordance with U.S. transparency laws and does not constitute a declaration of wrongdoing.