A member of President Bola Tinubu’s legal team in the United States, Wole Afolabi, has said the Nigerian leader would have been arrested and prosecuted if American authorities possessed credible evidence linking him to drug trafficking or related criminal offences.
Afolabi made the remarks during an interview with Channels Television, monitored by The News Chronicle, amid renewed attention surrounding a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking the release of records concerning President Tinubu from United States law enforcement agencies.
The lawyer argued that US authorities would have taken criminal action against Tinubu if they had sufficient evidence capable of establishing his involvement in drug-related offences under American law.
According to him, the existence of credible evidence would have resulted in an indictment and prosecution rather than continued public allegations and requests for the release of government documents.
His comments followed questions surrounding a FOIA lawsuit filed by American activist Aaron Greenspan, seeking access to records held by the US Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration concerning Tinubu and previous investigations involving him.
Afolabi disclosed that the agencies had already released thousands of pages of documents under the FOIA process, although portions of the records remain redacted.
He explained that US law allows government agencies to withhold certain sensitive information where disclosure could expose investigative methods, confidential sources or law enforcement personnel to potential risks.
Afolabi said Tinubu’s legal representatives were challenging demands for further disclosure within the provisions of US law and were exercising legal rights available to them.
“It would amount to professional malpractice on our part if we didn’t take advantage of what the law offers,” Afolabi said.
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He also dismissed claims that the legal challenge was aimed at preventing the release of potentially damaging information, insisting that the matter was a legal dispute over the application of FOIA exemptions.
According to him, the outstanding issue in the case is whether the sections that remain redacted should be released or whether the US government has sufficient legal grounds to continue withholding them.
The FOIA proceedings are continuing, with American authorities making successive disclosures while retaining some portions of the documents under applicable legal exemptions.
