The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. has set a new date to address a motion regarding the release or withholding of President Bola Tinubu’s records held by U.S. security agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
In 2022, anti-corruption activist Aaron Greenspan, in collaboration with Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin, filed a FOIA request for the FBI to release case files on Mr. Tinubu, focusing on his involvement in a narcotics-trafficking case that led to a $460,000 forfeiture to the U.S. government in 1993.
The requested files are also expected to shed light on long-standing controversies about Mr. Tinubu’s background, including discrepancies regarding his name, age, and gender upon entering the United States.
Last September, the FBI approved Mr. Greenspan’s request to release Mr. Tinubu’s records, amounting to 2,500 pages, to be disclosed in monthly batches of 500 pages starting in October 2023.
However, Mr. Tinubu has strongly opposed this release, arguing in court that public disclosure of these files would “adversely affect” him. Mr. Greenspan’s attempts to expedite the release of the FBI files before the Nigerian Supreme Court’s decision on the electoral dispute challenging Mr. Tinubu’s victory were unsuccessful.
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In November 2023, Judge Beryl Howell permitted Mr. Tinubu to intervene and contest the release of his records, acknowledging his right to protect his interests due to his claim of potential adverse effects.
On Thursday, June 6, Judge Howell instructed the opposing parties (Messrs. Greenspan and Tinubu) to submit a joint status report by September 3 to advance the matter.
“Upon consideration of the parties’ joint status report, directing the parties to submit another joint status report by September 3, 2024, advising the court whether any disputes remain between the parties, and if so, proposing a schedule to govern further proceedings,” Ms Howell said on Thursday.
(Peoplesgazzette)
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