The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release records related to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
Judge Beryl Howell issued the order on Tuesday, in response to a motion filed by American citizen Aaron Greenspan, who sought a review of a previous ruling in the case.
In her decision, Judge Howell stated that the agencies’ refusal to disclose the information was “neither logical nor plausible.” Greenspan had accused the FBI of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to release documents within the legally mandated timeframe. These documents reportedly relate to alleged federal investigations involving Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele.
Tinubu had previously been linked to a 1993 case in which he allegedly forfeited $460,000 to the U.S. government over funds suspected to be connected to drug trafficking.
The issue resurfaced during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, when opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party challenged Tinubu’s eligibility, citing the forfeiture. However, their petitions were dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Court, which upheld Tinubu’s victory.
On Tuesday, Judge Howell ruled partially in Greenspan’s favor, finding that the FBI and DEA had not adequately justified their withholding of the requested records under FOIA.
