By Palang Paul
American journalist and transparency activist Aaron Greenspan has identified three US cases linked to a historical drug-trafficking investigation involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigerian businessman Abiodun Agbele.
Greenspan made the disclosure in an interview with Laolu Akande, founder of Empowered Newswire, while discussing his ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking the release of historical FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration records.
The lawsuit, Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-01816-BAH, is a civil dispute over access to government records and is not a criminal prosecution of Tinubu.
According to Greenspan, the three cases comprise criminal indictments from 1992 involving individuals linked to the alleged drug network, a separate criminal case involving Agbele, and a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving about $460,000 held in an account in Tinubu’s name.
“There’s at least three known cases now that are tied to this drug ring,” Greenspan said.
He identified the 1992 criminal indictments as one case, an indictment involving Agbele as another, and the civil forfeiture proceedings involving Tinubu as the third.
Possible fourth case
Greenspan also raised the possibility that a fourth case could involve a criminal indictment against Tinubu, but stressed that he has no evidence establishing that such an indictment exists.
“There could be a fourth. There could be a criminal indictment of Bola Tinubu as well, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.
He added that the possibility of a sealed proceeding remained unconfirmed.
“I don’t have any evidence that such a deal had been made, to be very clear. That remains an open question right now,” Greenspan said.
Greenspan said the possibility arose partly from the detail contained in some historical investigative records, which he said include references to bank accounts, Tinubu’s family and other financial and personal information.
Agbele and alleged drug network
Greenspan said Agbele was connected to the same historical investigation and was described in records as the nephew of Mueez Akande, whom he identified as a Chicago-based figure allegedly involved in heroin distribution from Asia through Nigeria.
Greenspan alleged that Tinubu’s connection to the investigation was financial rather than direct participation in drug distribution.
He cited testimony from former US Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Vincent Balbo in a criminal case involving Lee Andrew Edwards.
According to Greenspan, Balbo testified that Agbele supplied heroin to Edwards’ organisation and that the drugs originated from Nigeria.
However, the existence of the Edwards prosecution does not by itself establish criminal wrongdoing by Tinubu.
$460,000 forfeiture case
The third case identified by Greenspan concerns approximately $460,000 held in an account in Tinubu’s name and forfeited to the United States in a 1993 civil proceeding in the Northern District of Illinois.
Records cited in the FOIA litigation describe the funds as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or money involved in transactions prohibited under US law.
The proceeding, however, was a civil forfeiture case and not a criminal conviction against Tinubu.
Court records indicate that the United States and individual claimants reached an agreement to settle and compromise the forfeiture action.
The distinction has also been emphasised by the Nigerian Presidency, which has described the current US litigation as a civil FOIA records dispute rather than a criminal case against the President.
FOIA lawsuit
Greenspan’s lawsuit followed several FOIA requests submitted in 2022 and 2023 to US agencies, including the FBI, DEA, CIA, Internal Revenue Service and the Executive Office for US Attorneys.
He is seeking records relating to a joint investigation into a Chicago-area heroin trafficking and money-laundering network that operated during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In an April 8, 2025 ruling, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the agencies could no longer rely on a “Glomar” response to refuse to confirm or deny the existence of certain records, following arguments concerning previous official disclosures.
The litigation has continued over which records should be released and what information can legally remain withheld or redacted.
The Nigerian Presidency said in September that the FBI and DEA had released 399 pages of records, although portions were withheld or redacted under statutory exemptions covering areas including grand-jury information, confidential sources, investigative techniques and personal privacy.
Tinubu has also intervened in the case and invoked privacy protections over some records.
Greenspan alleges cyberattacks
The latest litigation has also featured Greenspan’s allegations of repeated cyberattacks against PlainSite, a legal research website he operates.
In a September 9 filing, Greenspan asked the court for permission to serve written questions and requests for admission on Tinubu, while also seeking a subpoena for documents from DCI Group AZ, a Washington public-affairs firm registered as an agent of the Nigerian government.
Greenspan has not accused Tinubu of ordering the alleged cyberattacks, and no court has found Tinubu, the Nigerian government or DCI Group responsible for them.
He said the attacks coincided with developments in the FOIA litigation and at times disrupted access to PlainSite.
Greenspan also referred to an August 5 social media post by an account identified as “Secure Nigeria,” which described him as an opposition-linked figure. He said a major cyberattack began the following day.
He acknowledged, however, that the timing alone does not establish who was responsible for the attacks.
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