The United States District Court in Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration to release information about President Bola Tinubu.
Judge Beryl Howell issued the directive on Tuesday. In response to a motion filed by American Aaron Greenspan, who wants a previous decision to be reconsidered, Howell stated that keeping the material private is “neither logical nor plausible.”
Greenspan had accused the law enforcement agencies of not releasing “documents relating to purported federal investigations into” President Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele within the allotted time, in violation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
According to reports, Tinubu gave up $460,000 to the US government in 1993 after investigators connected the money to drug trafficking profits.
The judgment read, “The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu relating to the drug trafficking ring.
“Any privacy interests implicated by the FOIA requests to the FBI and DEA for records about Tinubu are overcome by the public interest in release of such
information.
“Since the FBI and DEA have provided no information to establish that a cognizable privacy interest exists in keeping secret the fact that Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation.
“They have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses and provide an additional reason why these responses must be lifted.”
The court upheld the CIA’s Glomar response after Greenspan conceded that the agency had acknowledged the existence of responsive records.
The judge ruled, “For the reasons discussed above, plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment as to each of the four Glomar responses asserted by defendants FBI and DEA, while defendant CIA is entitled to summary judgment, since its Glomar response was properly asserted.
“Accordingly, the FBI and
DEA must search for and process non-exempt records responsive to the FOIA requests directed to these agencies.
“The CIA, meanwhile, is entitled to judgment in its favour in this case. The remaining parties are directed to file jointly, by May 2, 2025, a report on the status of any outstanding issues in this case, as described in the accompanying order.”
Live with Purpose, Love with Passion. Remember to be happy
One ❤️❤️❤️
Rose Ajieh
