A United States District Court in Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release documents concerning President Bola Tinubu’s alleged ties to a drug trafficking operation in Chicago during the 1990s.
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The ruling comes after a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were submitted between 2022 and 2023 by Aaron Greenspan, an American researcher. Greenspan requested access to records concerning Tinubu as well as three other individuals: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele. These individuals are believed to have links to a drug ring that was operating in Chicago at the time.
Initially, both the FBI and DEA issued what are known as “Glomar responses,” refusing to confirm or deny whether such records existed. However, Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the agencies’ responses were inadequate and ordered them to locate and release any non-exempt materials related to the FOIA requests.
In her decision, Judge Howell stated that the public interest in understanding any potential involvement of a sitting president in past criminal activity outweighs concerns about personal privacy.
While the FBI and DEA have been directed to move forward with processing the relevant records, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was allowed to maintain its Glomar response. The court accepted the CIA’s argument that its refusal to confirm or deny the existence of records was appropriately justified.
All parties involved in the case are expected to submit a joint status report by May 2, 2025, to update the court on any remaining issues.
