A Washington lobbying firm is intensifying pressure on US authorities to reopen examination of decades old allegations linking Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to a heroin trafficking network that moved white heroin from Nigeria through Chicago into Indiana.
Watch the full video statement from transparency activist Aaron Greenspan here https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2085164414471139328/vid/avc1/524×610/d3i0x8EWTfgdkd18.mp4 or via the original post https://x.com/batten_von/status/2085164462084919305
In the 39 second clip Greenspan describes Tinubus alleged role as laundering proceeds from the organization through multiple bank accounts held in his name. Those funds were the ones the US Department of Justice later seized in civil proceedings.
The underlying investigation began in the late 1980s. Federal agents from the DEA FBI and IRS examined a network distributing white heroin in the Chicago area and Hammond Indiana. Key figures named in government filings included Adegboyega Mueez Akande described as a leader of the group Abiodun Agbele who was arrested after selling heroin to an undercover officer and later cooperated and Lee Andrew Edwards identified as a source of the drug.
Court documents from the 1993 civil forfeiture case in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois show authorities sought seizure of funds in several accounts linked to Tinubu including one at First Heritage Bank and others at Citibank. An affidavit by IRS Special Agent Kevin Moss stated there was probable cause that money moving through accounts controlled by Tinubu represented proceeds of drug trafficking or was involved in financial transactions violating federal money laundering statutes specifically 18 USC sections 1956 and 1957.
In September 1993 Judge John A Nordberg ordered forfeiture of 460000 dollars from the First Heritage account in Tinubus name. The court determined those funds represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in prohibited financial transactions. Remaining funds in other accounts were released under a settlement. Tinubu was never criminally charged or convicted in the matter.
Greenspan has pursued Freedom of Information Act requests since 2022 seeking investigative records charging decisions and related files from the FBI DEA and other agencies. A US District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the agencies in 2025 to process and release non exempt responsive records. Production has faced repeated delays with the agencies recently seeking additional time.
The lobbying firm notes Indiana remains a solid Republican state and says it is identifying all lawful avenues for federal and state authorities to examine the historical record. It states that if permitted by law it will work to ensure Tinubu faces indictment and criminal charges. The firm has tagged senior figures in the Trump administration members of Congress and other officials while circulating documents from the original Justice Department filings.
Tinubu has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintained he committed no criminal offense in the United States. The civil nature of the 1993 case means it produced no criminal conviction. Records from the original probe and the ongoing FOIA litigation continue to draw attention as the firm presses for further review.
