US authorities have announced that they will not release President Bola Tinubu’s criminal and immigration records until 2026 due to “unusual circumstances.”
Aaron Greenspan, a public disclosure activist, had requested the urgent release of Tinubu’s records from various US agencies.
However, these agencies, including the State Department and the FBI, stated that even if the records were to be released, it would not happen before January 2026.
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We can’t release Tinubu’s criminal cases
In response to the denial, Greenspan filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court. The lawsuit challenges the decision to withhold President Tinubu’s records from the public.
President Tinubu has consistently claimed that he has not committed any crimes during his time in the United States. However, there are discrepancies in his real identity and education records.
He previously stated under oath that he attended the University of Chicago, but the university has denied this claim. Additionally, records from Chicago State University show that a person named Bola Tinubu who attended in the 1970s was actually a female.
He forfeited $460,000
President Tinubu was previously mentioned in US court documents in 1993 in connection with laundering drug trafficking proceeds, resulting in a forfeiture of $460,000 at the time.
These records are significant in an ongoing challenge to President Tinubu’s election as the President of Nigeria, currently being heard before a tribunal in Abuja.
The State Department, FBI, Department of Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration have been summoned to court to explain why records related to a Nigerian president are considered unusual and not worthy of public release.
The agencies’ attorney has requested an extension to file a response to the lawsuit, which was initiated on June 12, 2023.
READ ALSO: Please tell the people to be a little patient: Tinubu appeals to Nigerians to endure subsidy removal
My Guinean citizenship is Invalid: President Bola Tinubu tells Tribunal
Moreover, In the presidential Election Petition Tribunal, President Bola Tinubu’s legal team, led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), debunked claims of Tinubu’s Guinean citizenship.
They stated that his Guinean citizenship had expired in 2020, the same year his Guinean passport was alleged to have expired.
The statement was made in response to a petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) seeking President Tinubu’s removal from office.
