Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has taken steps to prevent the release of approximately 2,500 documents relating to him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other United States services. The FBI is set to release these documents in October, which are currently in their database.
As reported by the Peoples Gazette, Tinubu’s lawyers in the United States have filed motions to appear in an ongoing freedom of information action against the US organizations where documents that may help answer questions about the president’s real identity and long-term endeavors are located.
One of the lawyers who recently represented Tinubu in the Chicago records case, Bryan A. Carey, filed the motion on October 18, 2023, stating that he was a lawyer in good standing to appear in the ongoing FOIA lawsuit in Washington, D.C.
Carey, who practices law in D.C., said on Carmichael’s behalf, “Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 83.2(c), Bryan A. Carey moves for the admission and appearance of attorney Christopher Carmichael pro hac vice in the above-entitled action. This motion is supported by the Declaration of Christopher Carmichael. As set forth in Mr. Carmichael’s declaration, he is admitted and an active member in good standing.”
Carmichael, who also represented Tinubu, did not respond to a request for comment, and the President’s lead lawyer in the United States, Oluwole Afolabi, declined to comment on the matter until it had officially begun.
The lawyers are working diligently to file a comprehensive argument as soon as possible to argue any reliefs before the October 31 deadline. The FBI had stated that it intends to release the documents before the end of October to Aaron Greenspan, the proprietor of PlainSite, a website that advocates for anti-corruption and transparency in public service.
Tinubu took this action two weeks after losing a fierce battle to prevent a federal court in Chicago from releasing his academic records to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.