The Presidency has downplayed a recent U.S. court ruling directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to release records related to President Bola Tinubu, insisting the documents contain nothing new.
Reacting on Sunday, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the reports in question have been in the public domain for over three decades and do not implicate the Nigerian leader in any wrongdoing.
“There is nothing new to be revealed,” Onanuga wrote on X. “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.”
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had, on Tuesday, ordered the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release records concerning Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele, following a motion by U.S. transparency activist Aaron Greenspan.
Judge Beryl Howell, in her ruling, criticized the withholding of the documents, saying it was “neither logical nor plausible” to deny public access. Greenspan had argued that the FBI violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to disclose the materials within the statutory timeframe.
The case touches on longstanding allegations that Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to the U.S. government in 1993 in a case involving suspected proceeds of narcotics trafficking—allegations the Nigerian leader has consistently denied.
Despite the renewed attention, the Presidency insists the matter is settled. “Journalists have sought the Presidency’s reaction to the ruling… Our response is as follows: there is nothing new,” Onanuga reiterated.