By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pleaded with Nigerians to remain calm following a United States court order directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release investigative files related to a 1990s drug probe allegedly linked to him.
Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, described the development as an old case, stressing that lawyers are already examining the current ruling by a US Court.
Onanuga insisted that the contents of such records are neither new nor incriminating, practically pouring cold water on the reports of the U.S. court ruling.
He added that the reports in question had been in the public domain for more than three decades and contained no indictments against the Nigerian leader.
“There is nothing new to be revealed. The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report has 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.
This comes as Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia mandated the FBI and the DEA to release confidential documents related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged involvement in the subject matter in question(drugs).
The ruling followed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan in June 2023.
Greenspan, the founder of PlainSite.org, sought access to records from multiple U.S. agencies, including the FBI, DEA, CIA, IRS, and the U.S. State Department, concerning a 1990s investigation allegedly involving Tinubu and a Chicago-based heroin trafficking ring.
The case is about a 1993 civil forfeiture incident where Tinubu reportedly surrendered $460,000 to U.S. authorities, funds allegedly linked to narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
