FBI forecloses possibility of making public documents on Tinubu

The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has foreclosed the possibility of making public any documents or information relating to President Bola Tinubu.

The FBI stated its position on the issue in a response filed in a suit filed before the United States District Court of the District of Columbia by one Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking to compel US security agencies, including the FBI to release some purported documents and information about Tinubu and “Mueez Adegboyega Akande (deceased as of 11/16/2022).”

The response, dated October 30 is in relation to the application by Greenspan for the court to reconsider its ruling on October 23 rejecting his emergency motion for the release of the documents and information he is seeking in the substantive suit he filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

In the court document, titled: “Defendants’ response to plaintiff’s for reconsideration,” it was : “in plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration, he argues that the court is wrong because FOIA exemptions had already been largely, or at least partially, overcome according to the representations by defendants in their September 11, 2023 Joint Status Report.

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“Plaintiff entirely misapprehends the Joint Status Report. None of the parties have conceded any FOIA exemptions.

“As to the actions that certain defendants agreed to take by the end of October, the FBI stated that it will release records relating to the two FOIA requests that sought records involving other individuals, not Tinubu.

“As to the Tinubu requests, the FBI asserted Exemptions (b)(6) and (b)(7)(C) Glomar response and neither confirmed nor denied the existence of records sought in those requests.

“State and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) stated that they anticipate sending initial responses – not necessarily documents.

“Absent any unforeseen circumstances, FBI, State, and EOUSA will comply with their representations made in the Joint Status Report.

“As to irreparable injury, plaintiff now concedes that ‘it is likely that this injury has already transpired’ and does not even contend – let alone establish – that the public interest outweighs the privacy interests or that the equities favour his position.

“Defendants reiterate that they oppose plaintiff’s characterization of the Joint Status Report filed September 11, 2023.

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“Plaintiff states, ‘defendants acknowledged that plaintiff’s FOIA requests were valid and waived and/or reversed many of their prior erroneous denials and objections.’