American journalist and transparency activist Aaron Greenspan has identified three separate United States cases connected to a drug-trafficking network investigated by US law enforcement agencies in the 1990s, including cases involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigerian businessman Abiodun Agbele.
Greenspan made the disclosure during an interview with Laolu Akande, founder of Empowered Newswire, published on Wednesday.
He also raised the possibility of a fourth case involving Tinubu, which he said could be a criminal indictment filed under seal, although he acknowledged that he had no conclusive evidence that such an indictment exists.
According to Greenspan, the three known cases include a series of criminal indictments issued in 1992 involving individuals allegedly connected to the network, a separate criminal case involving Agbele, and a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving approximately $460,000 held in an account in Tinubu’s name.
The 1993 proceeding was a civil forfeiture case and does not amount to a criminal conviction against Tinubu. Court records cited in the ongoing legal dispute indicate that the funds were forfeited to the US government following a settlement of the case.
Greenspan said the historical investigative records contain details concerning bank accounts, family members and a vehicle, which he believes could point to either a decision by US authorities not to prosecute or the possibility of a criminal case that remains sealed.
“The records could point to two possibilities — that US authorities ultimately decided not to prosecute after investigating the matter, or that a criminal case was filed but remains sealed,” he said.
He added that the records connect Agbele to the alleged drug network, while characterising Tinubu’s reported connection as financial rather than direct participation in heroin distribution.
The controversy is linked to Greenspan’s ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking historical records from US law enforcement agencies concerning investigations involving Tinubu and Agbele. The dispute remains focused on the release, withholding and redaction of those records.
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