A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has accused the Nigerian Presidency of presenting a misleading account of a United States court ruling involving President Bola Tinubu and records of alleged drug trafficking.
The firm made the allegation while reacting to a report
titled, “US Court Blocks Discovery Attempt Against President Tinubu in FOIA
Suit,” which was shared by Sunday Dare.
In a statement on its X handle, the firm acknowledged that
the US court had blocked Aaron Greenspan’s request to serve discovery on Tinubu
in a separate case involving allegations of hacking by the Nigerian Presidency
and its agents.
However, it argued that the development was unrelated to the
Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, case seeking access to records concerning
Tinubu’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
According to the firm, Dare’s account left out significant
aspects of the court’s decision, which it said were unfavourable to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA.
The statement reads in full:
“As expected, the Nigerian Presidency, @officialABAT, exists
in a world of untruths, half-truths, and fantasy. What @SundayDareSD has stated
is only half the story and a lie by omission. Here are the facts:
“@SundayDareSD is correct that the @uscourts blocked Aaron
Greenspan's request to serve discovery on Nigerian President #Tinubu in an
unrelated matter involving alleged hacking by the Nigerian Presidency and its
agents, which had nothing to do with the FOIA request for alleged
heroin-trafficking records. What he intentionally left out is that the court:
“Denied the @FBI's and @DEAHQ's cross-motions for summary
judgment regarding the vast majority of their withholdings.
“Slammed the FBI and DEA for using ‘boilerplate’ and
‘imprecise’ excuses to hide information regarding #Tinubu and his alleged drug
trafficking associate, Agbele.
“Firmly ruled that because a detailed DOJ asset-forfeiture
affidavit from 1993, mapping out the drug-trafficking and money-laundering
investigation into Tinubu, is already part of the public record, the FBI and
DEA cannot use broad privacy or secrecy exemptions to keep that identical
information redacted.
“Rejected the DEA's excuses: The DEA tried to withhold pages
using generic, single-sentence explanations regarding wiretaps and pen
registers. The judge rejected these explanations, stating that the DEA had
completely failed to meet its legal burden.
“Ordered the FBI and DEA to go back, review the files
against the public record, and provide detailed justifications for why any
portions of these files should remain secret by November 27, 2026.
“Never trust anything the #Tinubu presidency says. They lie
both directly and by omission. The court's decision is a massive blow to
President Tinubu, and the Tinubu presidency is trying to hide behind the
judge's denial of Aaron Greenspan's request to question Tinubu in a matter
unrelated to the FOIA case.”
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