Tinubu Finally Reacts to US Documents on Alleged Drug Dealing, Money Laundering
- APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has reacted to the documents alleging his involvement in drug dealing and money laundering in the US
- Some documents purported to be ‘certified true copy’ surfaced on Tuesday, November 8, alleging that Tinubu was linked to a drug business and had to forfeit $460,000 to the US authorities
- Tinubu has, however, reacted through his campaign’s media and publicity director, Bayo Onanuga, and told his own side of the story
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FCT, Abuja - Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has reacted to the trending documents linking him to drug dealing and money laundering in the United States.
On Tuesday, November 8, some documents alleged to have indicted Tinubu on drug dealings and money laundering in the US resurfaced on social media.
Source: Facebook
There are claims that the documents were released by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The documents indicate Tinubu faced narcotics charges in the US, and he forfeited up to $460,000 to the US authorities in 1993.
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New allegation of involvement in drug business dead as a dodo, Tinubu reacts
On Tuesday evening, Tinubu reacted to the resurfaced trending allegation through his campaign’s media and publicity director, Bayo Onanuga.
He said the new allegation of his involvement in the drug business is "dead as a dodo", adding that the "carcass of the drug allegation in America" was "buried in 1993".
Onanuga said the attempt to bring back the allegation failed in 2023 and again in 2022, when "the opponents thought it was lethal enough to make the APC disqualify Tinubu from the race."
"It failed spectacularly and Tinubu went on to win the primary with a landslide.
"The muckrakers are back again with the same story, dressed as ‘certified true copy’ from the U.S. Court," the statement on the Tinubu/Shettima campaign website read.
Drug business allegation, "same old tale", says Onanuga
The statement indicates that Onanuga had perused the new document and dismissed it as the same old tale.
“It is as dead as a dodo”, Onanuga was quoted as saying as he also made reference to a section of the campaign’s FAQ’s manual which addressed the allegation.
In detail: Tinubu campaign's reaction to drug business allegation
Read below the official reaction to the allegation as culled from Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign: FAQ:
"One of the unconscionable and wicked lies peddled by political opponents about Bola Ahmed Tinubu was to paint him erroneously as a drug baron.
"The accusation arose out of an investigation by FBI agent Kevin Moss of Tinubu and Compass Investment and Finance accounts at First Heritage Bank and Citi- Bank in the U.S.
"On January 10, 1992, Mr Kevin Moss requested and obtained a court order to freeze the accounts.
"On January 13, 1992, Mr Moss telephoned Tinubu in Nigeria to justify the amounts in the accounts, running into $1.4 million. Part of the money was said to have been deposited by two Nigerians, being investigated for drug offences.
"After the telephone conversation, Tinubu instructed his lawyer in the US to file a lawsuit against the order freezing his accounts.
"This dragged on till 15 September 1993, when an agreement was reached for an out of court settlement. Judge John A Nordberg, of the US district court for the Northern District of Illinois, read out the agreement reached by the two parties. Part of the funds, $460,000 was seized by the government.
"The FBI never charged Tinubu with any drug offence; the case did not go on trial. Tinubu was never convicted. And he was never barred from entering the United States.
"In 2003, ten years after, when the PDP opponents wanted to use the shuttered allegation to disqualify Tinubu from running for a second term in Lagos, the Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun made an enquiry with the American Consulate on Tinubu’s status.
"The Consulate gave Tinubu a clean bill in a reply by the Legal Attache, Michael H. Bonner.
"The letter read:
“Our sincerest greetings to you and all of the law enforcement personnel in the Nigeria Police Force, whose continued assistance is very much appreciated. In relation to your letter, dated February 3, 2003, reference number SR. 3000/IGPSEC/ABJ/VOL. 24/287, regarding Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a records check of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Crime Information Centre (NCIC) was conducted.
“The results of the checks were negative for any criminal arrest records, wants, or warrants for Bola Ahmed Tinubu (DOB 29 March 1952). For information of your department, NCIC is a very centralised information centre that maintains the records of every criminal arrest and conviction within the United States and its territories.”
Almost thirty years after the allegation was discharged and the case declared dead, Tinubu’s opponents keep waking up its corpse, in futile efforts to malign him."
Tinubu meets IBB as ex-military head asks Jagaban crucial question about his strength
In another report, Tinubu, on Tuesday, November 8, met with a former military head of state, Ibrahim Babangida.
The former Lagos state governor met with Babangida at his Hilltop residence in Minna, the Niger state's capital city.
During the meeting, Babangida asked Tinubu if his team were allowing him to have enough rest needed at his age.
Source: Legit.ng
