A US court has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release confidential information related to President Bola Tinubu, following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by American citizen Aaron Greenspan.

Background of the Case
The lawsuit, filed in June 2023, sought documents related to purported federal investigations into President Tinubu and Abiodun Agbele in the 1990s. The investigations allegedly involved a Chicago heroin ring and money laundering activities. Initially, the FBI, DEA, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and other agencies issued “Glomar responses,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of the requested records.

Judge’s Ruling
Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA’s Glomar responses were “improper and must be lifted,” stating that protecting the information from public disclosure is “neither logical nor plausible.” The judge ordered the agencies to file a joint report by May 2, detailing the status of any outstanding issues in the case.

Key Findings

• Investigation Acknowledgement: The court acknowledged that both the FBI and DEA investigated President Tinubu in connection with the drug trafficking ring.
• Public Interest: Judge Howell noted that the public interest in releasing the information outweighs any potential privacy interests.
• CIA Exemption: The CIA was exempt from releasing information, as Greenspan failed to show that the agency had officially acknowledged the existence or non-existence of responsive records.

Implications
The ruling may lead to the release of previously confidential information about President Tinubu’s past, potentially shedding more light on the 1993 forfeiture of $460,000 linked to narcotics trafficking.