The Nigerian Presidency has responded to a recent U.S. court order demanding the release of documents related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that the reports in question have been public knowledge for over 30 years and contain no new or incriminating information.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, issued a statement via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, asserting that the contents of the FBI and DEA records are not new and do not implicate the president.
“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. The lawyers are examining the ruling,” Onanuga stated.
His comments follow a ruling by Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, who ordered the FBI and DEA to release non-exempt documents related to investigations involving President Tinubu, stemming from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by researcher Aaron Greenspan.
Read also: US court orders FBI, DEA to release Tinubu’s investigation documents
Judge Howell’s ruling stated, “They [FBI and DEA] have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses,” referring to the agencies’ previous refusal to confirm or deny the existence of the records. She further noted that both agencies had “officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu relating to the drug trafficking ring,” and that any privacy interests were outweighed by the public’s right to know. “They have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses,” she wrote, and ordered the agencies to now “search for and process non-exempt records responsive to the FOIA requests.”
The court upheld the CIA’s Glomar response, granting the agency summary judgment, and directed all remaining parties to submit a joint status report by May 2, 2025.
The Presidency, however, maintains that the court order does not present any new information and that President Tinubu was never indicted. “These reports have circulated since the 1990s. There is no criminal record, no indictment, and nothing to suggest wrongdoing by President Tinubu,” the statement emphasized.
The statement continued, reiterating the government’s stance on transparency and adherence to the rule of law, and called on the public to focus on the administration’s efforts toward economic recovery, national security, and development.
© Ripples Nigeria