United States Court Releases Certified Copies Of Bola Tinubu’s Drug Trafficking Case In Chicago

A 56-page document has been released by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, revealing the All Progressive Congress presidential flag-bearer, Bola Tinubu’s encounter with American authorities over allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

The document is coming amidst controversy trailing Mr Tinubu who has come under intense public ridicule and political onslaught for his role in an early 1990s drug trafficking case in Chicago.

The former Lagos governor, who has preferred to discuss other parts of his background in corporate accounting, consultancy and pro-democracy activism, has failed to issue comments on his alleged narcotics affair which has become public knowledge in the country.

He has, however, told the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his 2023 election application, that he had no prior criminal convictions.

Though, Nigerians have insisted that the presidential candidate should come clean on his involvement in the case, which saw him forfeit up to $460,000 to the U.S. authorities in 1993, but Mr Tinubu’s close associates have repeatedly made efforts to downplay the matter entirely as a trivial distraction to Nigeria’s democratic experience because it happened decades ago in a distant land.

Apparently, the 56-page document released by the district court’s headquarters in Chicago did not disclose crucial new details, but it further confirmed snippets of the matter that had been shared spontaneously by the media for years.

Recall that David Hundeyin, an investigative journalist, also reignited interest in Mr Tinubu’s drug-dealing background following a July 13 article in West Africa Weekly.

The latest certified copies of the court case, obtained on August 10, showed Mr Tinubu and two others identified as K.O. Tinubu and Alhaji Mogati were involved in banking proceeds of illicit drugs and money laundering with Heritage Bank and Citibank.

It was, however, unclear whether or not ‘Alhaji Mogati’ was a misspelling of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, Mr Tinubu’s foster mother, who passed on in 2013.

It is understandable that the U.S. government had in July 1993 sought forfeiture of proceeds of narcotics Mr Tinubu was accused of laundering. The matter was resolved in a compromise between the Tinubus and the U.S. authorities, with the Tinubus being asked to keep the money in the Heritage Bank account while the $460,000 in the Citibank account was forfeited.

A federal presiding judge subsequently dismissed the matter with prejudice on September 21, 1993, which effectively foreclosed the matter from being litigated again by all parties.

The bone of contention remains if Nigerian authorities could still bring charges against Mr Tinubu over the same case in Nigerian courts.

An Abuja-based lawyer with ties to opposition politics, Kalu Kalu Agu, has been among those seeking to hold Mr Tinubu to account over the matter.

Mr Kalu petitioned the Nigerian anti-graft, EFCC, and anti-narcotics, NDLEA, departments respectively to probe Mr Tinubu’s involvement in the drug charges before the February presidential elections.

In the November 8 petition, Mr Kalu Agu gave both offices seven days ultimatum to take action against the APC National Leader or be compelled through a judicial order of mandamus, a process that involves ordering a public department to perform a public duty.

“It is our view that you have a historic duty to ensure that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is called to account for his deeds in money laundering arising from his involvement in narcotics trafficking,” Mr Kalu from his think-tank Centre for Reform & Public Accountability in Abuja.

Mr Tinubu, who has been embarking on campaign tour through the country, did not return a request seeking comments about the released court documents and Mr Kalu’s petition to federal authorities. One of his media aides for his campaign also rejected to issue comments.

In a commentary on the latest exposure of a filthy scandal, a professor of Forensic/clinical/legal Psychology added his voice: "I really do not see this United States report on Tinubu as an issue especially in our Nigerian environ. He was not convicted at all. No felony conviction as noted in the report".

"However on the ground of social psychology or social morality, good and decent Nigerians need to boldly see that this type of character does not take the presidency".

"Since 1999 especially, the Nigeria place started the so called Democratic Republic. If truth be told our type of democracy is what I call Jaguda Democracy. First predicted by the Music Philosopher, Fela. We all saw what happened a few days ago when Atiku and Tinubu personally and apparently on purpose ignored invitation. That was not the first time. Psychologically and socially they know it is about Jaguda Democracy. Jaguda police systems, Jaguda security, Jaguda courts, Jaguda politics, Jaguda media. In this type of applications you force yourself into office. Tinubu and Atiku are apparently strategizing with the Jaguda approach to POWER".