Tinubu moves to halt CIA, FBI, US agencies from releasing personal files

President Bola Tinubu is making yet another attempt to thwart the disclosure of information belonging to him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other American services.

According to Peoples Gazette, Mr. Tinubu’s attorneys in the United States have submitted applications to appear in a current freedom of information lawsuit launched against American organizations that hold records that could shed light on the president’s true identity and long-running endeavors.

According to papers, Christopher Carmichael, one of the attorneys who defended Mr. Tinubu in the recent Chicago records case, submitted the motion on October 18, 2023, indicating that he was qualified to participate in the ongoing FOIA litigation in Washington, D.C.

“Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 83.2(c), Bryan A. Carey moves for the admission and appearance of attorney Christopher Carmichael pro hac vice in the above-entitled action,” Mr Carey, who practices in D.C., said on Mr Carmichael’s behalf. “This motion is supported by the Declaration of Christopher Carmichael. As set forth in Mr. Carmichael’s declaration, he is admitted and an active member in good standing.”

It was unclear what motivated Mr. Tinubu’s belief that he might prevent American organizations from abiding by federal disclosure rules. Oluwole Afolabi, the president’s lead attorney in the United States, said The Gazette that he could not comment on the matter until it had formally begun. Mr. Carmichael did not immediately respond to a request for remarks. In order to have a chance of arguing any reliefs prior to the deadline of October 31, the attorneys would endeavor to file a complete argument as soon as possible.

When The Gazette revealed on September 11 that the FBI had consented to turn over 2,500 pages of responsive information on the Nigerian leader, Mr. Tinubu was made aware of the litigation. The president was previously under investigation for drug trafficking in the United States in the 1990s, and as a result of a federal court ruling in Chicago, he was ordered to forfeit $460,000.

According to The Gazette, the FBI stated that it intended to provide Aaron Greenspan, the owner of PlainSite, a website that promotes anti-corruption and openness in public service, access to the documents before the end of October. The Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and several other American organizations have all expressed a willingness to hand over thousands of pages of Bola Tinubu-related documents. Two weeks prior to Mr. Tinubu’s action, he had unsuccessfully fought to prevent the release of his academic records to Atiku Abubakar, his chief political competitor in Nigeria, by a federal court in Chicago. When the documents were finally made public by the school, they revealed that a certain Bola Tinubu had been admitted to the institution in 1977.

However, the school claimed that it could not verify the certificate he used to compete for office in Nigeria in June 2022 and that it could only infer, based on a quick review of the documents, that their former student was the Nigerian president.