Battle to unveil Tinubu’s drug record, true identity rages in US court

Battle to unveil Tinubu’s drug record, true identity rages in US court

President Bola Tinubu’s alleged criminal and immigration records in possession of the United States will not be released until 2026, the country’s authorities have said, according to court documents.

The US State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation cited ‘unusual circumstances’ for its decision not to release the records to the public.

Following a freedom of information request, the US authorities said even if they were to release the records, it would be at least until January 2026.

A civil lawsuit has now been filed over the matter before Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.

Aaron Greenspan, an American public disclosure activist, had filed a request to the FBI, State Department, Department of Treasury, and Drug Enforcement Administration, among federal and local agencies, seeking an urgent release of Tinubu’s immigration records.

READ ALSO:

• Man overdoses on drug, invades catholic church, destroys property
• 42-year old Okada rider’s body found with private parts severed in Delta community
• We can’t rescue accident victims outside federal roads, says FRSC …to appeal restrictions judgement

The filings came as Tinubu maintained in court that he did not commit any crime during his decades-long residency in the US.

Tinubu also affirmed ownership of his identity, despite strong indications that he might have changed names and education records in the past.

Tinubu’s real identity and education records reportedly contain omissions and contradictions that he was said not to have explained to the public.

For instance, the President had said under oath to the electoral office, INEC, while seeking to be Lagos governor in 1999, that he attended the prestigious University of Chicago.

The university has since disowned Tinubu.

Another American school, Chicago State University, confirmed one Bola Tinubu attended the school but did not say whether it was the Nigerian president.

A report said documents from the school showed that a person bearing Bola Tinubu, who attended the school in the 1970s, was a female.

The State Department is believed to have records of whether or not the person who applied for a US visa and travelled as Bola Tinubu in the 1970s is the same person running Nigeria today.

“This office will not be able to respond within the 20 days provided by the statute due to unusual circumstances,” the State Department said in a May 15, 2023 letter to Greenspan.

READ ALSO:

• Hurdles world record-holder Amusan charged with anti-doping violation
• Musiala scores hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat Rottach-Egern 27-0
• EFCC arrests 33 suspected Internet fraudsters in Benin City (Photos)

Previously on August 4, 2022, the FBI sent a message to Greenspan, saying: “Please be advised that ‘unusual circumstances’ apply to the processing of your request.”

But on March 22, 2023, the FBI said it would try to release all documents relating to Tinubu in its possession, but not until January 2026 at the earliest. Other agencies, including the Department of Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, also said they would not release the documents on the same grounds.

The FBI also said Greenspan “failed to demonstrate that the requested information is in the public interest.”

But the activist promptly responded by detailing how Tinubu’s alleged drug forfeiture case in Chicago drew the most eyes to his organisation’s website over the past year.

The website has over 15 million records.

All the agencies have now been summoned to appear in court to show course why records relating to a Nigerian president were deemed unusual and inconsequential to be released to the public.

On July 17, Assistant US Attorney Jared Littman entered an appearance as the lawyer representing all the agencies, and promptly requested a delay until August 28, 2023 to file a response to the lawsuit, which was instituted on June 12, 2023.

Battle to unveil Tinubu’s drug record, true identity rages in US court

(With PG report)