• Describes it as nonsense
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has responded to a US court ruling directing the FBI and DEA to release documents related to President Bola Tinubu’s past investigations.
The release of the documents is expected in the coming weeks, following the court’s directive.
In a statement posted on X on his verified handle @aonanuga1956, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, emphasised that the reports are decades old and contain no new revelations, having been publicly available for over 30 years.
He maintains that the documents do not implicate President Tinubu in any wrongdoing and are merely a rehashing of old news and contain no new revelations.
“There is nothing new to be revealed. The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report have been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader,” Onanuga stated.
He further noted that lawyers are currently reviewing the U.S. court ruling.
Reacting earlier, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, also dismissed the ruling ordering the FBI and DEA to release records of investigations into Tinubu’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking as “mischievous and politically mechanised nonsense.”
Reacting via his verified X handle (@BwalaDaniel), Bwala accused opposition groups of orchestrating the narrative to remain relevant ahead of the 2027 elections.
“They claim the order was given on Tuesday, but it never saw the light of the media until Sunday,” he wrote, questioning the timing of the report’s release.
Bwala further criticised opposition efforts under what he termed a “coalition for a wild goose chase,” adding that they have failed to present credible plans or alternatives to Nigerians.
“Hard as they try, they are still struggling to convince Nigerians that they have any plan at all, needless alternative plan,” he stated.
He said: “Mischievous and politically mechanized nonsense under the guise of US Court Orders FBI and DEA to act. They claim the order was given on Tuesday, but it never saw the light of the media until Sunday.
“There is nothing these opposition under the auspices of coalition for a wild goose chase cannot try to do to keep relevance
“They went to meet @MBuhari, and it was reported that he insisted the meeting be held in or on camera so that Elrufai would not go and say Buhari is joining SDP and PDP
“Hard as they try, they are still struggling to convince Nigerians that they have any plan at all, needless alternative plan.”
The controversy stems from a ruling by Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 8, 2025.
Howell directed the FBI and DEA to process and release non-exempt records related to Tinubu’s alleged involvement in a Chicago heroin ring in the 1990s.
The judge ruled that previous refusals by these agencies to confirm or deny the existence of such records were “improper” and failed to demonstrate privacy concerns sufficient to override public interest.
The ruling followed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan in June 2023. Greenspan sought investigative records on Tinubu and other individuals allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Howell’s judgment emphasized that public interest outweighs any privacy claims regarding Tinubu’s investigation.
Tinubu’s alleged forfeiture of $460,000 to U.S. authorities in 1993 over suspected narcotics proceeds resurfaced during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election petitions.
Opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi challenged Tinubu’s eligibility based on this issue but were unsuccessful as courts upheld his election victory.