US Court set to rule on release of FBI, DEA records on Tinubu

The United States federal court handling a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit involving records held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to review arguments from the parties after a court-ordered deadline for final briefings expired.

The development was disclosed on Tuesday by US-based advocacy and lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, which has been campaigning for the release of records connected to historical investigations involving Tinubu.

According to the firm, the court will now consider the submissions before reaching a decision on whether portions of the disputed records should be released.

The firm said it expects the court to order the disclosure of some of the records while allowing sensitive law-enforcement information to remain protected.

“We believe the Court will rule in favour of the plaintiff and order the release of portions of the alleged heroin-trafficking records concerning President Tinubu,” the firm said.

It added that it expected the court to protect sensitive law-enforcement methods while rejecting what it described as Tinubu’s request for blanket privacy protection.

However, the firm’s prediction is its own assessment and does not represent a ruling by the court.

The litigation is a civil FOIA records-disclosure dispute, rather than a criminal prosecution of Tinubu. The court has not found the President guilty of drug trafficking or any other criminal offence. The Presidency has previously stressed that the case concerns whether redactions and withholding of US government records are lawful.

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The case, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, was brought by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking access to records held by US agencies relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu. Recent proceedings have focused on the FBI and DEA’s withholding or redaction of portions of the records.

The FBI has previously argued that some information should remain protected under FOIA exemptions, while the court has allowed sensitive material to be submitted privately for judicial review.

The outcome could determine whether additional portions of the records become public or remain protected under US law.

Until the court issues its ruling, claims about what the withheld records contain remain allegations or interpretations advanced by parties involved in the dispute and should not be treated as established findings of criminal wrongdoing.