Court Ordered Release Document Not New, Already Concluded,.Says Ogala

The investigative documents ordered to be released by United States court on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not new but an already concluded matter, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN who is familiar with the case has clarified..

The report was ordered to be released based on a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by an American, Aaron Greenspan, was.handled by the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of I veetigation and Drug Law agencies.

According to Ogala,, the report in question is not a new development, but rather an old story that has been concluded.

“That is a matter that has long been concluded. It’s just a sensational issue in the media for now,” Ogala said in an interview.

The FoI request by Greenspan sought documents relating to purported federal investigations into President Tinubu and one Abiodun Agbele. However, Ogala revealed that the investigation in question dates back to 2003, when the FBI, CIA, and DEA were all joined in the action to supply details of reports of whatever investigation they had done on the President.

Ogala explained that the matter was long concluded in Chicago, where the President was found not to have been liable for any offense. However, certain funds were said to have passed through him, which was $460,000 that had long been forfeited. “Note that the order of forfeiture was against the funds, not the President as an individual. It was against the assets. That concluded the matter,” Ogala clarified.

The report, which was a result of an FBI investigation, had long been released since 2003 and was even used in the 2023 election petitions. The Court of Appeal held that the report was not a conviction, Ogala noted.

Regarding the latest order for the papers to be released, Ogala stated that they had already been released. “It’s an old matter. An old, settled story. If indeed the President had been indicted, would he have been allowed to enter the U.S. subsequently?” Ogala asked.

Ogala’s comments come as a response to those who are using the report to discredit the President. “This is a country that could go after the President of another country – Panama’s – and got him to trial. And here was one, who even without immunity was entering that country as frequently as he wished. So, it is a non-issue. It’s just sensationalism,” Ogala said.

The development has sparked a heated debate in Nigeria, with many questioning the timing of the report’s release. While some have hailed the move as a victory for transparency, others have criticized it as a ploy to discredit the President.