The Presidency has responded to the recent ruling by a U.S. court ordering the release of investigative records related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, clarifying that the documents, dating back over 30 years, contain no new revelations.
In a statement issued yesterday, Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed claims that the records, which involve a 1990s drug trafficking investigation, could contain new information about the president. He emphasized that these reports have been in the public domain for decades and do not implicate the Nigerian leader.
“There is nothing new to be revealed. The reports by FBI Agent Moss and the DEA have been available to the public for over 30 years. They do not contain any new or damaging information about President Tinubu,” Onanuga wrote in a post on his verified social media account.
The clarification comes after U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered the FBI and DEA to release documents linked to an investigation involving President Tinubu and others in connection with a heroin trafficking network in the early 1990s. The court rejected the agencies’ use of the “Glomar response”—a legal provision that prevents agencies from confirming or denying the existence of certain records—stating it was no longer justifiable.
According to the ruling, the U.S. agencies failed to demonstrate that withholding the records was necessary to protect the information from public disclosure. Judge Howell’s decision followed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by U.S. transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, who sought records relating to criminal investigations into individuals allegedly linked to a Chicago-based heroin ring, including President Tinubu.
Onanuga further addressed concerns over the President’s past trips to the United States, noting that there were no restrictions on his entry into the country. He stressed that Tinubu had visited the U.S. multiple times since 1994 and had always been granted the right to travel.
The legal team representing the President is currently reviewing the implications of the U.S. court’s ruling, which follows a lengthy legal battle initiated by Greenspan in 2023. The ruling has drawn significant media attention, but the Presidency maintains that it does not alter the status of President Tinubu’s eligibility or his legal standing, following previous court rulings affirming his election.
Notably, the matter of President Tinubu’s forfeiture of $460,000 in 1993, tied to alleged narcotics trafficking proceeds, was previously raised during the 2023 election litigation, but the Presidential Election Petition Court dismissed the challenges, reaffirming Tinubu’s electoral victory.
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