‘Presidency lied by omission’- US firm reveals key details in Tinubu drug court ruling

A US-based political advisory firm has criticized the Nigerian Presidency for providing an incomplete account of a recent US court ruling involving President Bola Tinubu and alleged drug trafficking records. The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, highlighted the discrepancy between the Nigerian Presidency's statement and the facts as presented by US court officials.

Initially, the Nigerian Presidency claimed that a US court had blocked a request by Aaron Greenspan to serve discovery on Tinubu in a case unrelated to alleged heroin trafficking records sought under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the Von Batten-Montague-York statement revealed that the court's decision was more complex and unfavorable to key US agencies, the FBI and DEA.

The US court denied the FBI and DEA's cross-motions for summary judgment regarding the majority of their withheld information. The court rejected the DEA's attempts to redact pages using generic justifications related to wiretaps and pen registers, stating that the DEA failed to meet its legal burden. Furthermore, the court ordered the FBI and DEA to review the files and provide detailed justifications for any remaining redacted sections by November 27, 2026.

The Von Batten-Montague-York statement emphasized that the Nigerian Presidency's narrative was misleading, as it failed to mention the court's rejection of key arguments from the FBI and DEA. The firm urged the public to question the accuracy of the Nigerian Presidency's claims, stating that the court's decision was a significant setback for President Tinubu's administration.