How presidency take react to US court order to FBI and DEA on Tinubu probe records and wetin go happun next
Wia dis foto come from, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Facebook
Nigeria Presidency don to react to di order wey United States Court for di District of Columbia bin give Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration on President Bola Tinubu probe records.
On Tuesday 8 April, di court order FBI and DEA to release records of dia investigations of President Tinubu involvement in alleged drug trafficking.
On top im X page on Sunday, di president tok-tok pesin Bayo Onanuga say notin new dey to dey revealed by di FBI and di DEA.
"Journalists don seek di Presidency reaction to di ruling last Tuesday by a Washington DC judge wey order di US FBI and DEA to release reports connected wit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
"Our response dey as follows.
"Notin dey new to dey revealed. Di report by Agent Moss of di FBI and di DEA report don dey for public space for more dan 30 years. Di reports no indict di Nigerian leader. Di lawyers dey examine di ruling," Onanuga write for X.
Wetin dey for di court ruling?
For di ruling wey di court upload for dia site, di district judge, Beryl Howell, order say di FBI and DEA "gatz search for and process non-exempt records responsive to di Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests wey one American citizen Aaron Greenspan bin direct to dem.
According to di court, di evasive "Glomar responses" wey dem previously issue in response to di FOIA requests on di mata gatz dey lifted. Goment agencies dey give Glomar responses to neither confam nor deny di existence of a particular information wey pesin request.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
For 2022 and 2023, Greenspan wey be di founder of PlainSite bin seek investigative records about Tinubu, Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Adegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele wey bin allegedly dey associated wit one drug ring.
Greenspan bin file 12 FOIA requests wit six different US federal goment agencies including di FBI and di DEA to request di criminal investigation information of di Chicago heroin ring wey bin operate for di early 1990s.
Oda agencies wey Greenspan write to na di United States Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Executive Office of United States Attorneys (EOUSA).
According to di court document, five of di agencies bin sissue Glomar responses to Greenspan FOIA requests. Di agencies tok say dem fit neither confam nor deny di existences of di requested records.
Greenspan den file a lawsuit to challenge di agencies response to di FOIA requests.
For im Tuesday judgement, Judge Howell rule say di Glomar responses wey di FBI and di DEA issue no dey proper and gatz dey lifted.
"Defendants dey correct say di principle dey "well established say 'individuals get obvious privacy interest cognizable under Exemption 7(C) in keeping secret di fact say dem be subjects of one law enforcement investigation," di judge tok.
Di judge also tok say di two agencies fail to provide evidence on di burden to sustain dia Glomar responses.
"Di FBI and DEA don both officially confam investigations of Tinubu wey relate to di drug trafficking ring - any privacy interests implicated by di FOIA requests to di FBI and DEA for records about Tinubu dey overcome by di public interest in release of such information.
"Di CIA don officially acknowledge records responsive to plaintiff FOIA request about Tinubu," di judge tok.
Wetin be Glomar response?
Agencies dey use Glomar response to refuse to deny or confam di existence of records wey pesin dey request for under di Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Glomar response no get statutory backing, rather di Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) bin create dis form of FOIA determination itsef in di case of Phillippi v. CIA wia di CIA bin refuse to confam or deny dia ties to a submarine retrieval ship wey dem dey call "Glomar Explorer.".
Dem dey call di response judicially created response and courts don find say make dem only use am for rare circumstances wia confamin or denying di existence of records fit dey reasonably suspected to cause "cognisable harm" under a FOIA exemption.
Wetin go happun next?
E dey expected say di FBI and di DEA go comply wit di court order to release di records.
Di court say di remaining parties dey directed to file jointly, "by May 2, 2025, a report on di status of any outstanding issues in dis case, as described in di accompanying order".
"An order wey dey consistent wit dis Memorandum Opinion go dey entered contemporaneously."
Though Nigeria Presidency say lawyers dey examine di ruling of di court, e no dey clear if dem go still comment on di mata afta di examination.
