₦airaland Forum

ghm:
The question, more or less, is: why are Atiku and co so desperate to see his records? It suggests that Tinubu is so powerful that he cannot be defeated through the regular election process alone – so the only option left is to disqualify him. That, in itself, is an admission of defeat.

Nigerians are entitled to know who their president is.

aswani:
Thanks for this.

The problem is there is absolutely nothing so far showing anything after the glomar response for the FBI request.

We don't have any proof post that response, none at all. We have people claiming the judge angrily responding. We have nothing on Greenspan's social media network, this is the person that you would expect to have a full update on every court case and postponement, alas pure silence.

Also, Kio Amachree who saw all this evidence has suddenly stopped talking about the evidence he saw.

I wouldn't mind being proved wrong, alas we now have 399 pages plucked out of the air by Ikeamafuna Van Basten. That is the latest Obidients are running with yet no proof of where the number came from.

Same as the private viewing by the judge, another nonsense. FBI would want to show a judge something private and lobbyists will be aware.

Also, nothing on the FBI website about this long drawn case. Nothing tagging judge Howell to the case from US websites. Nothing on judge Howell's case docket.

It's a lot of white noise with lie upon lie being piled on each other.

Obidients make an assumption that something is true, despite no proof, then start spinning tales off it.

I respectfully disagree with your position. If you require my continued involvement, please say so.

aswani:
Morning, have you got any proof at all that this went past a glomar response?

Have you got any documentation showing this ruling against the "blanket" glomar response as I have searched high and low and asked repeatedly?

Also when did the US government publicly acknowledge this "subject of a wider criminal offence" thing, was it at a press conference or via a press release?

I am genuinely int in these information and my dear friend Ottersberger is too as it would help our ongoing discussion on another thread.

Thank you for your anticipated help.

My dear friend and brother. You called me, as usual.

In my village, a man once stole a cock and hid it inside his sack. Having witnessed the theft, the village youths gathered around him, calling him a “thief.” The man, seeing another adult nearby, beckoned him over. “Come and look inside the sack,” he said. “You can determine for yourself whether I stole the cock.”

The adult looked inside. Sure enough, the missing cock was there.

But instead of addressing what was plainly before him, the adult turned to the youths and reprimanded them. “Go home,” he said. “Nothing to see here.”

That story comes to mind whenever I read anyone trying to dismiss the FBI records concerning Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though the underlying FOIA case does not exist or in this form.

It does!.

And the timeline matters.

On March 29, 2023, Aaron Greenspan submitted a FOIA request seeking FBI records concerning Tinubu. When the FBI initially refused to confirm or deny the existence of responsive records, a position commonly known as a “Glomar” response, Greenspan challenged that position in federal court.

We are now well beyond simply asking whether the FBI has records.

In the litigation, the FBI ultimately identified 399 pages of potentially responsive material and asked the court to review the records “under seal, ex parte, and in camera.” In plain English, the government is asking the judge to examine the records privately before deciding what, if anything, can be released publicly.

That is a very different situation from saying, “There are no records or a glomar response.”

And this distinction matters.

I am a fair-minded person, and to be clear, the existence of 399 pages does not prove that Tinubu committed a crime. Nor does a FOIA proceeding amount to a criminal finding against him. Those are claims that require evidence, and we should not manufacture conclusions that the court has not made.

But the opposite claim, that there is nothing here, or that the entire matter is fabricated, is equally difficult to sustain in light of the now available court record.

The obvious question is therefore not whether the records exist. The question is: what do they contain, and why were they generated?.

If the records contain nothing of consequence, transparency should settle the matter. If they contain information relevant to Tinubu's past legal trouble, Nigerians and the wider public should be allowed to understand that information and draw their own conclusions.

And 399 pages is not a trivial amount of material. It is substantial enough to warrant serious public interest and scrutiny.

This is why dismissing the issue outright does a disservice to the very person being defended and the defenders. Credibility is not strengthened by pretending the evidence does not exist. It is strengthened by confronting the evidence directly.

The United States is an open-records system with judicial mechanisms for challenging government secrecy. That process is precisely what is happening here. On the face of it, the claim that lives will be at risk because of these files makes it even more intriguing and compelling. Who is our president?. What had he done?.

So, my dear friend, let us not be like the adult who opened the sack, saw the cock, and then told everyone:

“Nothing to see here.”

Open the sack.

Let the judge examine the records. Let the law determine what can be released. And, most importantly, let the evidence speak for itself.

aswani:
If anyone can show where the topic title is in the document from op, which is unsealed and unsigned by the way, I will be most grateful.

Let's do that for starters at leaad

I no go talk wetin dey my mouth.

Hausa or Fulani?. Hausa are usually peace loving people.

omenka:
He has nothing upstairs, has no alternative ideas to share, so he latches on tight to the only available strategy his wholesome emptiness could synthesize- emotional baiting.

At least he is speaking. When will Nigerians hear from the bunker-dweller?. Heck, he could even lick the microphone.

AMINDA:
A "coalition" does not connote subordination or superiority. When Buhari of the CPC and Tinubu of the ACN came together to form the APC, it was not a master/slave affair but a strategic alliance to wrestle power from an incumbent. Tinubu was okay with nominating Osinbajo as Vice when his desire to deputise Buhari was unfeasible. The rest is history. That ship has already sailed and no one is having any nostalgia about it. We are just analysing how delayed gratification and foresight can actually be a potent political strategy. Obi contesting as an individual candidate is bad for both major candidates but more bad for one than it is for the other. Time is a gentleman.

I beg to disagree, my friend, particularly on who would take the bigger hit if, unfortunately, the opposition fails to oust the disaster in Aso Rock. None of these men will take the hit; Nigerians will.

But just to correct the narrative, Tinubu wanted to deputize Buhari. When that arrangement failed to gain Buhari’s support, partly because of the controversy surrounding a Muslim-Muslim ticket, he reportedly proposed his wife, Remi Tinubu, who is a Christian. Osinbajo ultimately emerged as the compromise. Tinubu himself, as a vice-presidential candidate, was also turned down by Atiku Abubakar when Atiku ran on the former’s platform.

That said, I understand your argument.

Most Nigerians, especially young people across the North and South, increasingly believe that our leadership should be younger and more honest than both the incumbent and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. There is no compelling reason why Nigerians today must continue to be "ruled" by people who also "ruled" their fathers without measurable or verifiable progress.

Beyond the generational argument, however, there is a more fundamental issue. These men belong to a political generation that has dominated Nigeria for decades. In an increasingly fast-paced and rapidly changing world, we need leaders with the vitality, dexterity, and contemporary outlook required to confront the challenges of a country of more than 200 million people, where young people constitute the overwhelming majority.

The task before Nigeria is enormous, as you would agree. This is therefore not the time for a coronation.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in all honesty, has little to offer Nigeria today that Peter Obi does not bring and, in many respects, brings in greater measure. On the issue of credibility, Mr. Obi would also enter another campaign with far fewer vulnerabilities for the APC to exploit, unlike Alhaji Atiku, whose long political career provides his opponents with considerably more ammunition.

Ultimately, what Nigerians want is not another arrangement designed around personalities but competent and accountable government.

For that reason, I believe the elder statesman, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, should consider stepping back and supporting Peter Obi, not for Peter Obi’s sake, but for Nigeria’s. If the objective is genuinely to defeat Tinubu and give the country a better chance at good governance, then perhaps the wisest course is to support the candidate best positioned to achieve that objective.

This should not be about who gets crowned. It should be about who can best serve Nigeria.

epainos:
So, you cant use your Google at least to cover up. What is out in the open is what you want me to start telling you the facts one by one. And you saw the duration, and you still have the boldness to return here.

My recommendation is you return to primary 5 and let them teach you the meaning of over 1 year.

See...I dont have any other way to help you.

Gooluck as you find someone else to drag senseless issues with.

I expected nothing more than you delivered. Slogans merchant. Your feeble attempt at defamation failed. If I were to contract you for the job you think you're doing, I would promptly send you away. You are incompetent at the most basic task, and it clearly shows. If dem born you well, answer my question.

helinues:
He had no choice than to reverse after the backlash. He initially backed Atiku.

I still commented on thread about it yesterday

The opposition are really struggling on what to use as campaign against this government

Meanwhile, the Obidients are currently confused about this

https://www.nairaland.com/8735093/current-confusion-obidients-camp

So, my friend.

“Ebi Mpawa” is which Nigerian language?. And who was it that muttered those heartbreaking words in lamentation over the sorry state in which they unfortunately found themselves?.

Mr. Peter Obi made it clear ab initio that he would dismantle the criminal enterprise called “subsidy” in Nigeria. But he also told us that he would not do so haphazardly. Rather, it would be done gradually, in a carefully structured and phased manner, with the savings verifiably reapplied to alleviate critical aspects of Nigerians’ lives, particularly health and education.

This stands in direct opposition to the disaster that Ahmed Tinubu, the man you support, has thrown Nigeria into. Not only was his plan poorly thought through, but Nigeria went from the frying pan straight into an open burning flame. Whatever was purportedly realized from the removal of the subsidy was promptly looted by this administration, in what appears to be a continuation of the aforementioned criminal enterprise, while most of our taxes have increased and are set to rise even further and expand should Ahmed Tinubu, unfortunately, return in 2027.

Let’s be clear here: no one “reversed after the backlash.” What H.E. Mr. Peter Gregory Obi is offering is a well-thought-out economic blueprint, tailored to our circumstances and designed to deliver stability and growth after 39 months of the disaster called Ahmed Tinubu and his gang of incompetent looters whose actions have had such a devastating impact on the lives of Nigerians.

The difference, therefore, is not between someone who wants to remove subsidies and someone who does not. It is between how it is done, who bears the burden, and whether the resulting savings are transparently and productively reinvested in the Nigerian people.

This is one of the choices H.E Mr. Peter Gregory Obi presents to the Nigerian people in the coming election, in sharp contrast to the disastrous incompetence of your absentee, bunker-dwelling wannabe president.

epainos:
He makes sense, but still I know he isnt the person to lead Naija. He is only pretending.

Peter Obi is so funny. He wants to invest proceeds from subsidy in our health care system because according to him, it is the most important sector decaying presently. Yet, under the same Obi's watch as a governor of Anambra, doctors went on strike for more than 1 year. Sowore pointed it out. Lol.

No be juju be that? Man wey no send health, suddently send am cos he wan talk his way to Aso Rock.

What was the duration of the said strike and why?. Come with concrete facts if you can.

AMINDA:
In politics, there is what is known as strategic silence. Clearly, Peter Obi is being used by Obasanjo who's only life mission is to see that Atiku does not become president. He has effectively weared himself thin and talked himself out of the 2027 conversation and will further bleed supporters as a result of this. He may still enjoy the euphoria from people screaming "Obi, Obi" every now and then, but winning a presidential election goes beyond that. You have to be disruptive and come up with policy positions that differ from the status quo. Otherwise, why are you opposing? If Tinubu is a Southerner and Obi left a unified coalition because it's the "turn of the South" and still wants to sustain fuel subsidy removal just like Tinubu, why then does he want to unseat Tinubu instead of stepping down and fully backing his re-election? Not as many people will troop out again to vote for him enmass like they did in 2027 if they see that he genuinely does not stand a chance. The 2027 election will be won by the candidate who is able to build the most momentum.

Much as we may belong to opposing political camps, I would encourage you to move beyond the familiar, pedestrian rhetoric that has become characteristic of Nigerian politics.

Leaving a coalition perceived to be designed to coronate Atiku is neither a crime nor a betrayal. Peter Obi is an accomplished politician in his own right, and he is entitled to advance his own ideas about how Nigeria’s economic and political challenges should be addressed. Why should he be expected to automatically agree with Atiku Abubakar, who is equally entitled to his own views and ambitions?

The reality is that both men are political equals, but Mr. Obi’s political fortunes have risen considerably since the last election. His 2023 performance transformed him into a formidable national political force, and today he is arguably the strongest and most credible opposition choice to challenge and defeat Bola Tinubu.

An Obi–Atiku alliance, therefore, makes eminent strategic sense. Combining their strengths could give the opposition the breadth and political machinery necessary to mount a serious challenge in 2027. But such an alliance must be built on equality and mutual respect, not on the assumption that Peter Obi must subordinate his presidential ambition to Atiku.

No one is using anyone. Peter Obi is not subordinate to Atiku Abubakar. They shared a presidential ticket in 2019, but that does not create a permanent political hierarchy between them.

Mr. Obi has a legitimate desire to offer himself for service to Nigeria, and he should not be expected to sacrifice that aspiration merely to make a coalition convenient for others.

The goal should be to unite, not to subordinate; to build a winning coalition, not to coronate one individual. And if the question is who represents the most credible challenge to Bola Tinubu today, Peter Obi remains very much at the center of that conversation.

yarimo:
Unserious opposition will soon go to court about it

A friend of a thief is a thief. We know who these people work for; they only get recycled when we catch them. If in doubt, ask the NPF.

helinues:
Affirmation of the reelection inshallah

Immediately after the 2023 election, the first set of threads which I created was about the 2027 election.

Let SS have the SP position while the NC should be pampered.

Tinubu is from South West
Atiku is from North East
Peter Obi is from South East

Meaning there are 3 regions to drag the votes from. SS, NC and NW

Both SS and NC governors are already in Apc while there are major inroad in NW

In politics, it's a must to be strategic ahead of others. We are only waiting for the formality election

Rubbish!.

The APC plan is to rig, because there is nothing this government can campaign with. But I have bad news for you and APC, it's not gonna work. 2023 was a surprise, eyes are clear now. We will have an election where votes will count, Tinubu will lose and he will go home.

Although I did not write the following working theory, I find it plausible and believe that it explains the reason behind the US government's position regarding the release of the Tinubu files.

Working Theory: Why the FBI is still locking down the Tinubu files after 33 years

—-

The FBI is fighting to keep parts of the 1990s investigative file on Bola Tinubu sealed under FOIA Exemption 7(F) — claiming release could “endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.”

Thirty-three years later. That claim only holds if something in those records is still dangerous today.

Here’s the cleanest theory that fits every known fact:

In the late 1980s–early 1990s, a Nigerian-run network was moving **high-purity Southeast Asian white heroin** (“China White”) from the Golden Triangle — primarily sourced and staged in **Bangkok, Thailand** — into Chicago and northwest Indiana.

Adegboyega Mueez Akande ran the organization. His nephew Abiodun Agbele handled U.S. distribution and sales. Lee Andrew Edwards was a major street-level customer in Gary. Tinubu’s Chicago bank accounts were frozen because investigators believed they held laundered proceeds from the same SEA white-heroin pipeline. Agbele got arrested in 1990 selling to an undercover agent and cooperated. Tinubu was interviewed by phone, made partial admissions about knowing the players and moving money, later contradicted himself, fought the civil case, and settled in 1993 by forfeiting $460,000 with no criminal charges.

The working theory is that Tinubu provided information during that process — enough to walk away without an indictment. The records of that cooperation (or the identities it protected) remain in the file.

That is why the Bureau is still invoking a life-safety risk in 2026.

Look at what happened next. In 1995–1996 the U.S. launched **Operation Global Sea**, the first major effort that took down an entire Nigerian SEA-heroin chain from Bangkok source to Chicago streets. It targeted a sophisticated syndicate based in Bangkok that had been moving hundreds of kilograms of the same high-purity white heroin into the Midwest via Europe, Guatemala, and Mexico. Dozens were arrested in Bangkok, Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Pakistan. The Bangkok-based leader, Musiliu Balogun (aka “Olopa” / “The Policeman”), was charged as a primary supplier from Thailand/Cambodia. He stayed a fugitive until 2006, was extradited, and was sentenced in Chicago in 2013 to nine years.

Other follow-on operations (including elements later rolled into Shadow Towers) kept hitting Nigerian groups still importing SEA white heroin from Bangkok into Chicago and other cities.

Most of the original 1988–1993 players are now dead or neutralized: Akande died in 2024, Edwards years earlier. Balogun served his time and is no longer an active kingpin. But the broader Nigerian transnational networks that controlled the Bangkok-to-Chicago SEA white-heroin pipeline never fully disappeared. Residual associates, family members, or successor cells in Thailand and West Africa still operate in the drug trade. Identifying who cooperated in the original Chicago case — or revealing the exact techniques and sources used against the Bangkok suppliers — could still put people at real risk of retaliation.

That is the only explanation that makes the 33-year “endanger lives” claim coherent. The files are not being blocked over ancient bank records. They are being blocked because someone in them was protected, the protection still matters, and the Southeast Asian white-heroin networks that fed Chicago in the 1990s left behind people and structures with lasting lethal potential.

The public record is silent for a reason. The FOIA fight is the government’s way of keeping it that way.

--Copied
--Mike Arnold
#EarthShaker

Aswani

Fake bishops
Fake parastatal
Fake DSS
Everything fake

All supports Tinubu. Haba!

aswani:
Ottersberger, please don't fall for this BS.

If you look at the report, it is craftily coded suggesting FBI said this or that, do the FBI not have named attorneys or people in their legal department we can ascribe actual words to even if we now accept there will be no pictures of people entering or exiting court premises saying "no comment" to the camera.

You are also looking to play me wayo somehow as I never once said there is no FOIA, Greenspan raised one on behalf of Hundeyin, of that we agree.

Where I think the BS started is with court cases where Judge Howell is angrily telling FBI and CIA to produce records.

We had a June 1 deadline come and go, another one of today come and got moved to next Friday, still no actual human beings attached to the case actually saying anything on video since 2023, haba that is too much nau.

One final thing, per the smokes and mirrors of FBI acknowledging anything exists, we have been here before, last time it was with CIA and no such thing has happened. It's a simple play on words as follows :

1) Greenspan asks for information on President Tinubu from CIA or FBI under a FOIA

2) They actually want to tell him t get lost but can't so they say "We can't confirm or deny as it could jeopardise ongoing operations". Of course they will say this too for a nonentity like me that they've never heard of but Hundeyin twisted it to infer they are hiding something by not confirming anything. Their response is standard speak for "oh boy, we nor get ya time, if you nor comot for our front, we go send agent to kpai you", which of course they can't say.

So bottom line, another postponement, yet more twisting of words, yet no video content related to a phantom case and basically, people catching cruise.

Anyway please forgive my manners, hope the thesis is going well despite having to put it aside to try and make sense of this phantom court case.

I of course wish you a blessed weekend.

PS: That was a huge gamble Hundeyin and Van Ikeamafuna Bottle going for a two day turnaround suggesting a release today. I knew nothing solid would come out and guess what, pushed back to August 28. I wonder if Atiku is putting the heat on the lobbyist who of course has seen Hundeyin as someone that can help delay things slightly.

Ok, mehn, I can't seriously follow your drift on this anymore. You sound like, "move on folks, nothing to see here", even when the evidences are screaming and dragging your sokoto.

I laughed so hard my staff joined without knowing what the topic was. You are now infering for the FBI, senior special agent Aswani, lol...

Seriously, make I go dey useful to my household, oga. To you and yours, and everyone else, of course, have a great weekend.

emkz:
Couldn't it have been better for this declaration to have been done at a rally with party big wigs present?

Is Obi working separate from the party?

Who is the DG of Obi's campaign?

Who is the treasurer of the campaign? Dickson has refused Aisha to do this job.

Who is Obi's spokesman?

Where is Obi's presidential campaign council?

Where is Obi's itinerary? Which states will he start campaigning?

Where are the donation accounts for Obidients to donate?

Where is Obi's manifesto?

We want to see Tinubu's corresponding provision for all the items you listed as well.

yarimo:
Agulu fraudster package by bitter Obidients . World press conference Kee you there

Tinubu must debate Obi, Atiku, Sowore, Adebayoand others. MUST.

Islie:
FBI to US court: Disclosing Tinubu’s records could endanger lives, reveal our techniques


https://www.thecable.ng/fbi-to-us-court-disclosing-tinubus-records-could-endanger-lives-reveal-our-techniques/

So, this is progress in the matter. We are no longer dealing with ambiguity about whether records exist. The FBI has acknowledged that responsive records exist, specifically, records relating to an interview and 302 forms associated with the matter. That is an important distinction.

For clarity, an FBI Form FD-302 is an agent's interview report used to document information obtained during an interview. It is not a verbatim transcript or necessarily an audio recording of the interview. Rather, FBI agents generally prepare a written summary of the information obtained from the interview, based on their notes and recollection.

Now, the FBI's position, as I understand it, is not that the records do not exist. Rather, the issue is whether some of the information can be withheld because its disclosure could reveal law-enforcement techniques, confidential-source information, or other details that the FBI says could compromise ongoing or future operations or put individuals at risk.

And this is where I think we need to be careful with the conclusions we draw.

The existence of an FD-302 relating to an interview does not, by itself, establish that Tinubu was an FBI informant, that he “squealed” on anyone, or that he provided information about criminal partners. But it may well be any or all of the above and more as well. Those are possible interpretations being circulated, but they require evidence from the underlying records which is the reason an FOIA now exists for clarity.

What is significant, however, is that the existence of records is no longer something we can reasonably dismiss as mere speculation. There are records, there was an interview which must have originated from a suspicion of involvement in unlawful activity and we can reasonably infer what that activity is, and the dispute over access to those records has become the subject of FOIA litigation. Those are matters that can be established independently.

I think the content of the sort report is such that will negatively reverberate in great dimension for Nigri, likely to make the Gloria Okon saga a child's play in comparism. This also does nothing to quell the suspicion in some quarters that the subject may be a foreign asset.

My friend and brother, Aswani, in light of the pending FOIA litigation, the FBI seeking ex parte in camera declaration, the FBI's acknowledgment that responsive records exist, the existence of FD-302 records, and the information concerning the origin of the request, what exactly are we still arguing about?.

You have consistently maintained that there was no case, no FOIA matter, and essentially nothing to investigate. We now have considerably more information than we had at the beginning of this discussion.

So, what else do you wish to bring forward in defence of your man. or, as the case may be, the President?.

Because at this point, I think the most sensible thing is to let the legal process play out and see what the records actually contain. If the documents ultimately exonerate him, fantastic. If they raise further questions, then we deal with those questions.

Either way, the documents should speak for themselves.

Ultimately, Nigerians, na Escobar dey rule una. 😂

But jokes aside, let's hope these information gets handed over. That's where the argument should ultimately be settled.

Nigerians!
Na scam o!
A man Whose father you don't know
A man Whose mother you don't know
A man Whose hometown you don't know
A man Whose age you don't know
A man Who forged all his school credentials
A man Who is alleged to have dealt drugs and verifiably forfeited part of the proceeds
A man Who took Lagos state finances hostage

He impoverished and is still impoverishing you and your families
He and his family are stealing you and Nigeria blind as we speak
He want to continue his evil for a second term

You must say no
You must vote for a honest, competent and compassionate candidate, and
You must defend your vote.

AMINDA:
Nigeria does not need a president that will be so encumbered in so many scandals. It is embarrassing.

Well...

We already have him and we are encumbered as it is.
What we need to do is prevent his return, and by all legally necessary and available means.

aswani:
You are stepping too far out sir, per the bolded, President Tinubu is not retaining any counsel, he is not fighting any case becaide there is no case and there are no FBI and CIA files.

Just to remind you, on the other thread, Kio Amachree claimed in his Facebook page he saw the proof and by June 1,the whole world will see it as that was the next hearing.

This is mid August, we still haven't heard anything. We haven't see anyone entering a court house, we haven't seen local news reporters doing a report on it. We haven't seen lawyers expressing their unhappiness or joy as to the Judges pronouncements.

Our discussion is about the non existence or otherwise of the case, so far the former is holding true and the latter is been seen as a figment of Hundeyin's imagination.

This is not a "there is no smoke" without fire situation, this is a "there is no smoke so why are you shouting fire" scenario.

Finally, when should our patience run out, June 1 was over 2 months ago?

My opinion on Nigerian politics hasn't changed, we need a strong opposition and good on Adeleke for his hard fought win. Alas, he is batting for President Tinubu next elections so we really don't have a strong opposition still which is not good for our democracy.

Kudos to President Tinubu for whatever he is doing to ensure he returns. Shame on Atiku and Peter Obi for not being able to find a common ground.

Okay, so my dear friend and brother, Aswani, there was indeed a case. The case number is 93 C 4483, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The court record identifies the matter as a civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds held in accounts in Bola Tinubu’s name. The U.S. government alleged that there was probable cause to believe the funds represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in financial transactions that violated U.S. money-laundering statutes. A decree of forfeiture was entered in October 1993, including the forfeiture of $460,000 from a First Heritage Bank account.

Now, before somebody jumps up and says, “Aha! Convicted drug trafficker!”, let's be precise. It was a civil forfeiture case, not a criminal prosecution of Tinubu, and there is an important distinction between the two. The court proceeding was against the funds/property, and Tinubu was not criminally convicted of a narcotics offence in that case. The APC itself made essentially this argument during the 2023 presidential election litigation, maintaining that the $460,000 was forfeited pursuant to a civil proceeding and settlement, not imposed as a criminal fine.

So, no, I am not suggesting that the existence of Case No. 93 C 4483 automatically proves every allegation that has subsequently been made about Tinubu. What I am saying is much simpler: the case existed, the court record exists, and the allegations made by the U.S. government in that proceeding are a matter of public record. Those are facts that can be independently checked.

Let me tell you something today. I studied and lived in both Chicago and Houston back in the day. I am deliberately letting on way less than I actually know, for reasons you may already have discerned 😏.

While I have not really concerned myself with the Hundeyin character, or with anyone else who has been engaged in this matter until now, I have first-hand experience with some of the substance of what is being discussed. At the same time, it is in my personal interest not to have any dog in this fight. Feel me?.

Anyone who lived on Chicago's North Side from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, an area that housed, and still boasts, a significant Nigerian presence, will understand what I am talking about. I lived there.

Again, I am tempted to ask why you are so adamant that there was or is no case. The docket number I quoted above is public information. You can look it up yourself. The underlying court record describes the U.S. government's forfeiture action and the basis on which it sought forfeiture of the funds. I am happy to serialize the relevant documents here if necessary.

I suspect your argument may actually be based on the FOIA litigation, rather than the 1993 forfeiture case. If that is the case, then we need to keep the two matters separate. The FOIA litigation is a different proceeding altogether, involving efforts to obtain records from U.S. government agencies. There is indeed a federal FOIA lawsuit concerning requests for records relating to the Tinubu matter.

So insisting that there is no FOIA case makes little sense either, because that too is verifiable. I believe I have already provided two leads in the course of our discussions on this platform. Let me know if a refresh is necessary.

Finally, I read here that a deadline was set by a judge. As I said earlier, I am currently busy with academic work, and I will return to this at the earliest opportunity, or sooner if something significant happens in the matter.

For now, however, we would all be better served by allowing the process to run its course. If a court has set a deadline, let's wait for the deadline, or whatever variation the court may subsequently order rather than trying to obfuscate the entire narrative before any information is even released.

And yes, I also believe you are at least sympathetic to the President when one looks cursorily at your antecedents here. That is, of course, your right. You are perfectly entitled to support him, just as others are entitled to disagree with you.

But some of the denials I have read from you are difficult to reconcile with the existence of the actual court record. The record does not require us to agree on Tinubu's guilt or innocence. It simply establishes that there was a case, what the U.S. government alleged in that case, and what happened to the funds in question.

Everything beyond that requires evidence, context and, preferably, a little less shouting from all sides.

Either way, as I said earlier, we will eventually learn more of the truth. Don't fight it. 😂

Exercise some patience. The documents aren't going anywhere.

Regards,
Your brother and friend

aswani:
Ottersberger, here we go again ó!

We haven't heard about the June 1 hearing, we now have a postponement to August 21.

I did advise patience. But are we actually debating whether Tinubu is guilty of the accusations against him or not?.

The bigger question, in my view, should be why he is retaining legal counsel in what appears to be an apparent attempt to delay or prevent the release of the information being sought after.

The fact that we are even having this discussion suggests that there may be something the President does not want to become public knowledge, and that should concern us as a country.

Personally, I believe that whatever is contained in those dossiers will eventually come to light. All we need to do is exercise some patience and allow the process to play out. By the way, what do you think about Tinubu's defeat in his home state again?.

Against his best effort, Tinubu was demystified and disgraced in his home state Osun. But this is the default setting and there's no coming back from it.

Freshtruth:
Atiku has sat down reason am say kwankwaso is a strategic polictian and has position himself for 2031 , when power will return to the north . Har is ready to be strategic for the ist time in his life. He knows by 2031 he is the most popular northern polictian and he will beat any Northerner he is ready to do the untinkable on the 18th if this month by stepping down for either mankinde or obi he knows this single out will make him automatically inherit the obedience and get obi endorsement ahead of 2031.

Peter obi is next year or never for you

While I believe this no to be true, this is the only way Atiku can reconcile himself with Southeast and even South-south voters again.

christistruth01:
Is Rufai a Politician or a Journalist ?

He is a Nigerian.

favor914:
Frustrated Abia Man, u will not go & open your stall in umuahia main market, na Tinubu matter u carry for head like basket of tomatoes .

Instead of resorting to lazy blackmail, respond to the very weighty and frankly, damaging information he posted about Ahmed Tinubu. Is he being factual?, if not, what are the facts?.

WizardOfNG:
Stop talking nonsense. Even your mention about Davido shows you are desperate and misguided. Trump cannot interfere in our internal political affairs same as Tinubu can never have any influence over how the USA runs her politics.

You guys are fond of lobbying nations in the West like the USA, UK etal to help you interfere in the affairs of your nation that is sovereign and independent.

Yet, where has it got you? You play "food is ready" politics, typified by Obi, and don't build anything, anyone or political bridges/alliances yet you want to lead Nigeria you badmouth locally and abroad always and 24/7.

Forget this noise. Next year is for PBAT. Elections will be free and fair. Tinubu will win comfortably.

As expected, I was not disappointed by your response. However, unfortunately, I must agree with you that we must not become a legion of letter writers. We are not America's problem. We are Nigerians and must solve our own problems, just as Ahmed Tinubu did, using the same crude method he employed to climb to power.

The next election is critical. Our lives as Nigerians are on the brink due to the threat of an unqualified, incompetent and arrogant thief.

Tinubu said that the next election is a fight to finish, and it must be fought to finishh. Put down your pens, folks. America will not solve a problem that God has given us the means to perish ourselves. Those of us in the diaspora must be prepared to get stuck in this fight, as I will.

Those of us whom God has blessed must not allow our beloved country to be subjected to the whims of a dictator who has effectively destroyed the average Nigerian's sense of fight.

It is time to mobilize to the electoral front to oust this Foundling, a Filius nullius, forger, and, to be honest, an alleged criminal who would rather fight the opposition than govern the country.

It is time to give essense to the "Rig and Kpai" slogan. They will either count the votes,, correctly, or be counted.

TONYE001:
Our government is irresponsible, sadly.

Otherwise, explain to me why in 2026, Nigeria still depends on foreign donations for HIV care delivery.

It's such a sad tale!

That's one of many questions for Tinubu's failed government, which stole everything and is now trying to fool Nigerians by offering them five cups of rice in exchange for their votes. A better question would be, 'What happened to the health budget, including its capital component?'.

Yesterday, I watched a gut-wrenching Facebook video in which over 200 patients with kidney failure at Park Lane Hospital in Enugu were struggling to breathe. Children as young as four and seven were unable to receive dialysis because their families could not afford it.

Inserting a dialysis line costs between 350 and 500 thousand naira, yet Tinubu told us that dialysis is free. Nigerians must see better days. This government is not only a complete failure, it is also criminal.

Just look at the calibre of daft people the APC has been insulting Nigeria with. "AI something", and the werey is talking to some of us who actually built these models from scratch. The Nigeria space is nonsense.

SeeWahala:
Oh so davido is now igbo?

Why is it that once you're a yoruba and you speak the truth your fellow tribesmen will start looking and tracing your lineage to find out where your igbo blood came from? 🤔

So TRUTH = IGBO in nigeria?

Yep, and that is a beautiful thing.