Presidency dismisses U.S. court order on Tinubu files

The Presidency has called on the public to disregard a U.S. court ruling that compels American federal agencies to release documents linked to a decades-old drug-related investigation involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In an official statement, the Presidency downplayed the significance of the ruling, stating that the documents in question—originally compiled by the FBI and DEA—have “been in the public space for more than 30 years” and contain “nothing new.”

The statement also clarified that the documents do not implicate President Tinubu in any wrongdoing.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that while the ruling is under review by Tinubu’s legal team, it does not represent any form of indictment of the Nigerian leader.

The development follows a recent ruling by Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who found that continued efforts by federal agencies to shield the documents using “Glomar responses”—a refusal to confirm or deny the existence of records—were no longer justified.

Judge Howell stated that protecting such information is now “neither logical nor plausible,” given the public acknowledgment of the past investigation.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in June 2023 by American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan under the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA.

Greenspan sued multiple U.S. agencies, including the FBI, DEA, CIA, IRS, Department of State, and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, accusing them of unlawfully withholding documents related to investigations of President Tinubu and three other individuals allegedly tied to a 1990s drug trafficking operation: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.

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Initially, all agencies issued Glomar responses to Greenspan’s FOIA requests, prompting him to challenge their decision through administrative appeals and, subsequently, the courts.

As part of his legal filings, Greenspan submitted historical records—including a 1993 complaint and affidavit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Northern District of Illinois—that outlined civil forfeiture proceedings against bank accounts linked to Tinubu.

The affidavit, authored by IRS Special Agent Kevin Moss, detailed how Agbele—an alleged member of the heroin trafficking ring—was arrested while selling white heroin to an undercover agent.

During the investigation, Agbele named Akande as his uncle and benefactor, further tying the network to Tinubu through financial connections.

Agent Moss’s affidavit confirmed that both the FBI and DEA investigated Tinubu as part of their broader probe into the drug ring.

It cited “probable cause” that funds held in accounts controlled by Tinubu were connected to illegal drug proceeds and money laundering activities in violation of U.S. law.

The U.S. government later secured the forfeiture of those funds, though Tinubu was never criminally charged. He has consistently denied any involvement in criminal activity and maintains that the forfeiture was a civil, not criminal, matter.

Following the court’s ruling, Judge Howell ordered the FBI and DEA to lift redactions from the previously released files and reissue them without exemptions. The agencies have been instructed to file a joint report on the status of the release by May 2, 2025.

Despite the court order, Nigerian authorities maintain that the matter is politically motivated and legally inconsequential. The Presidency’s statement emphasized that the documents are “long-known” and lack any new or damaging revelations.

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