‘Nothing new to reveal’ — presidency responds to US court ruling on Tinubu’s alleged drug case
The presidency has responded to the United States district court judgment asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release records relating to the criminal investigation of President Bola Tinubu over alleged drug trafficking.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bayo Onanuga, media aide to Tinubu, said the court order did not indict the president.
On April 8, Beryl Howell, the judge, directed both agencies to search for and process non-exempt records tied to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by American researcher Aaron Greenspan.
Greenspan, founder of legal transparency platform PlainSite, had submitted 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023, seeking information on a Chicago drug ring that operated in the early 1990s.
His request included records on Tinubu and three others: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele
The FBI and DEA had previously issued “Glomar responses”—a refusal to confirm or deny the existence of requested records—but the court ruled that such responses were improper in this case.
The FBI and DEA have now been ordered to conduct a search and release non-exempt materials, while the parties are to report back to the court on the case’s status by May 2, 2025.
The judgment read, “The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu relating to the drug trafficking ring.
However, Onanuga said there is nothing spectacular and new to be revealed.
“Journalists have sought the Presidency’s reaction to the ruling last Tuesday by a Washington DC judge ordering the US FBI and DEA to release reports connected with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement reads.
“Our response is as follows. There is nothing new to be revealed.
“The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report have been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader. The lawyers are examining the ruling.”
