Release records on Tinubu’s investigation, US court directs FBI, DEA

In a judgment issued on April 8, 2025, District Judge Beryl Howell mandated that the FBI and DEA “must search for and process non-exempt records” in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests directed at these agencies.

Judge Howell ruled that the previous “Glomar responses”—which are used by government agencies to neither confirm nor deny the existence of requested information—must be revoked.

In 2022 and 2023, American Aaron Greenspan, the founder of PlainSite, had sought investigative records regarding Tinubu, along with Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele, who were allegedly linked to a drug ring.

Greenspan filed 12 FOIA requests across six different U.S. federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA, requesting information on criminal investigations related to a Chicago heroin trafficking ring that operated in the early 1990s.

Other agencies involved in his inquiries included the U.S. Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Executive Office of the United States Attorneys (EOUSA).

According to court documents, five of these agencies issued Glomar responses, stating they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested records.

Unsatisfied with this response, Greenspan subsequently filed a lawsuit to challenge the agencies’ handling of the FOIA requests.

In her ruling, Judge Howell declared the Glomar responses from the FBI and DEA “improper and must be lifted.” She found that the agencies did not provide adequate evidence to justify keeping the investigation into Tinubu’s involvement confidential.

“The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations involving Tinubu related to the drug trafficking ring,” the judge stated. “Any privacy interests implicated by the FOIA requests concerning Tinubu are outweighed by the public interest in disclosing this information. Since the FBI and DEA have not demonstrated a legitimate privacy interest in concealing the fact that Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation, they have not met the burden required to maintain their Glomar responses.”

In response, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga stated via social media that there is nothing new to disclose in the upcoming FBI and DEA reports. “There is nothing new to be unveiled. The reports by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA have been public for over 30 years, and they did not indict the Nigerian leader. Our legal team is currently reviewing the ruling.”