FBI Refuses to Disclose Tinubu’s Documents Amid US Lawsuit
An American activist, Aaron Greenspan, has failed to obtain confidential documents or information on President Bola Tinubu from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other US law enforcement agencies.
Greenspan had sued the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and three other agencies under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in June this year. He had requested records related to Tinubu and one Mueez Adegboyega Akande from the Northern District of Illinois and/or Northern District of Indiana.
He had also filed an emergency motion on October 20, seeking the immediate release of the documents, claiming that they were relevant to the Nigerian Supreme Court’s hearing of an appeal challenging Tinubu’s election as president on October 23.
However, the US District Court of the District of Columbia denied his motion on October 23, ruling that he did not meet the criteria for a temporary restraining order. The court also noted that Tinubu had privacy interests that should be respected.
The FBI and other agencies had argued that Greenspan was merely trying to reargue his position on which the court had already decided. They had also said that they did not intend to release any documents, even if they existed, about the Nigerian leader, based on the earlier order.
President Tinubu’s lawyers have also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that it was frivolous and vexatious. They have accused Greenspan of being a political opponent of Tinubu and having ulterior motives.