THE Presidency has downplayed concerns surrounding a recent U.S. federal court ruling ordering American law enforcement agencies to release investigative records linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that the documents reveal nothing new.
The decision, handed down by Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, mandates the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to make public records related to a reported narcotics investigation from the 1990s.
Responding to the judgment, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated on Sunday, April 13, that the administration has “nothing new to say” on the matter.
“There is nothing new to be revealed,” Onanuga said.
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,” he said.
He added that media inquiries about the presidency’s reaction were not unexpected but emphasised that the administration remained unshaken.
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. Our response is as follows: there is nothing new to be revealed,” he reiterated.
The ICIR reported that the US District Court for the District of Columbia ordered top law enforcement agencies to release confidential information related to President Tinubu during a “purported federal investigation in the 1990s.”
Beryl Howell, the judge, made the order on Tuesday, April 8.
Responding to a motion by Aaron Greenspan, an American who is seeking a reconsideration of an earlier ruling, Howell said protecting the information from public disclosure is “neither logical nor plausible.”
Greenspan had accused US agencies of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by refusing to release records related to federal investigations into President Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele.
In her ruling, Howell said the agencies’ attempt to shield the information from public disclosure is neither logical nor plausible.
She specifically faulted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for relying on so-called ‘Glomar’ responses—refusals to confirm or deny the existence of records.
The judge ruled that both agencies failed to demonstrate that their reliance on Glomar responses was justified under FOIA exemptions. “Since it has already been acknowledged that Tinubu was the subject of investigation by the FBI and DEA, continuing to withhold that information is not defensible,” Howell said.
Greenspan argued that the public’s right to access the records outweighs any privacy concerns. He also cited previous official acknowledgments of investigations involving both Tinubu and Agbele, as well as confirmation by the CIA that it holds responsive records related to Tinubu.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.