Several United States government bodies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of State, are poised to unveil investigation reports on Friday, May 2, concerning an alleged drug-related case involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in the 1990s.
This follows a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, instructing the agencies to release documents that were the subject of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit initiated by American activist and transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan.
In addition to the FBI and State Department, other agencies required to comply with the court order include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The presiding judge, Beryl Howell, issued the order earlier this month, stating that the continued withholding of the requested records is “neither logical nor plausible.”
“This is a win for government transparency and the public’s right to know,” Greenspan remarked, who filed the lawsuit in June 2023. “The American and Nigerian people deserve to know the full history of any prior investigations involving a sitting foreign president.”
Greenspan’s lawsuit claims that the agencies violated the FOIA statute by failing to release documents within the mandated timeframe. He specifically sought information regarding alleged federal investigations into President Tinubu and three other individuals: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele—individuals purportedly linked to a drug trafficking ring in the 1990s.
According to court filings, Greenspan submitted 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023 to six different federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA.
These requests targeted records associated with investigations by U.S. Attorneys in the Northern Districts of Indiana and Illinois, jurisdictions where Tinubu reportedly resided and operated during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
While some redacted documents have emerged in recent years, many of the requested files remain classified, fuelling speculation and debate, particularly in Nigeria, where inquiries into President Tinubu’s past have long ignited controversy.
President Tinubu has consistently denied any involvement in drug trafficking or wrongdoing.
