FG Dismisses Fresh Claims as U.S. Court Orders Release of Tinubu Files

The Federal Government of Nigeria has responded to reports regarding a recent ruling by a United States District Court ordering two top U.S. anti-drug agencies to release documents related to a decades-old investigation allegedly involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The reaction was conveyed on Sunday in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, following widespread media coverage of the ruling.

The controversy stems from a lawsuit filed in June 2023 by Aaron Greenspan, an American citizen and transparency advocate, under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Greenspan sought the release of documents from multiple U.S. government agencies — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of State, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The suit alleged that these agencies failed to meet FOIA deadlines regarding requests for documents linked to “purported federal investigations” involving President Tinubu and Abiodun Agbele, a known associate of embattled Nigerian politician Ayo Fayose.

According to investigative reports, all five agencies invoked a so-called “Glomar response”, whereby they neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the requested records.

However, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on Tuesday that the FBI and DEA could not continue to use the Glomar defense, ordering the agencies to disclose whether such documents exist and potentially release them.

In his statement, Onanuga downplayed the development, stating that the matter had long been in the public domain and did not pose any new threat to the President’s credibility.

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“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,” Onanuga wrote in a Facebook post.

He emphasized that federal government lawyers are currently reviewing the court’s decision, and reiterated that President Tinubu had not been convicted or indicted in any drug-related investigation, contrary to insinuations by political opponents.

The renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s past follows a series of legal challenges to his 2023 election victory. During the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal proceedings, the legal team of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi cited an alleged 1993 U.S. court forfeiture of $460,000, purportedly linked to drug trafficking.

The petitioners argued that the forfeiture should disqualify Tinubu from holding public office. However, the Tribunal and subsequently the Supreme Court dismissed the claims, ruling in Tinubu’s favor and affirming his election.

The Supreme Court concluded that the forfeiture did not amount to a criminal conviction and, therefore, did not meet the constitutional threshold to nullify his mandate.

The U.S. court’s latest ruling has once again stirred debate within Nigeria’s political and civic spaces. Critics argue that the order could re-open sensitive chapters in Tinubu’s history, while others view the development as an international legal technicality with no bearing on his presidency.

Supporters of the President have accused opposition figures of weaponizing old allegations to delegitimize Tinubu’s government at a time when the administration is grappling with critical economic and security challenges.

Meanwhile, transparency activists say the court ruling represents a victory for accountability and access to information, regardless of the political implications.

As the ruling mandates the FBI and DEA to respond more definitively in the coming weeks, public attention is expected to remain fixed on whether any new material emerges and how it might shape political narratives ahead of the 2027 general elections.