A sworn declaration filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation has renewed controversy over records connected to an early-1990s United States drug-trafficking investigation involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and several other individuals.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has stated that records being contested in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit were compiled during investigations into drug-trafficking offences involving several individuals.
The statement was contained in a sworn declaration submitted on August 28, 2026, to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case of Aaron Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and Others, Civil Action No. 23-1816.
According to the declaration, “the responsive records herein were compiled in furtherance of the FBI’s investigation of multiple individuals for drug trafficking crimes.”
The FBI also referred to the court’s earlier finding that an official acknowledgement had already been made concerning an investigation involving President Tinubu.
The development has reignited debate over Tinubu’s connection to a Chicago-area drug-trafficking investigation conducted in the early 1990s. The litigation, however, concerns access to government records under the US Freedom of Information Act and does not constitute a finding that Tinubu committed a criminal offence. (Premium Times Nigeria)
Court Previously Rejected FBI’s Secrecy Position
The legal dispute began after American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan submitted requests seeking records from several US agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and Executive Office for US Attorneys.
Among the documents requested were the FBI’s entire file relating to Tinubu and records of alleged FBI interviews conducted between 1992 and 1993.
The agencies initially issued what is known as a “Glomar response,” refusing to confirm or deny whether the requested records existed.
In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA could no longer maintain that position because investigations relating to Tinubu had already been officially acknowledged.
The judge held that continuing to conceal the existence of the records was no longer logical or plausible and directed the agencies to process responsive, non-exempt documents. (Premium Times Nigeria)
FBI Seeks to Protect Sensitive Information
The FBI has relied on several exemptions under the US Freedom of Information Act to withhold portions of the requested records.
The exemptions cover personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement methods and information whose disclosure could endanger the life or physical safety of an individual.
The agency subsequently sought permission to submit confidential declarations to the judge for private review, arguing that publicly explaining its reasons for withholding some materials could itself reveal protected information.
The August 28 filing confirmed that confidential declarations were delivered to the court, although the sealed materials have not been made available to the public. (Punch Newspapers)
Lobbying Firm Publicises Filing
Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm retained by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, publicised portions of the FBI declaration on X.
The firm said it had received a large volume of records and was reviewing and redacting the documents before further publication.
It argued that the declaration contradicted claims that Tinubu had never been investigated in relation to drug-trafficking activities.
However, the firm’s political interpretation of the records remains its own position. The public filings confirm the existence of investigative records and the ongoing FOIA litigation but do not establish that Tinubu was prosecuted or convicted of drug trafficking.
Tinubu Opposes Further Disclosure
President Tinubu, through his United States legal team, has opposed the further release of records, arguing that disclosure would unjustifiably violate his privacy rights.
His lawyers maintain that the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to reveal the operations of government agencies and not to facilitate unrestricted disclosure of private information contained in government archives.
They have also consistently argued that Tinubu was never arrested, indicted, arraigned or convicted of a drug-related offence in the United States.
The President’s legal team describes the widely reported 1993 proceeding as a civil forfeiture action against funds rather than a criminal prosecution against Tinubu personally. (Leadership)
Court records cited in the FOIA proceedings show that $460,000 held in an account linked to Tinubu was forfeited to the United States government in 1993. Tinubu has repeatedly denied criminal wrongdoing. (Premium Times Nigeria)
The court is expected to determine whether the FBI properly relied on the cited exemptions and what portions of the requested records, if any, must be released publicly.
READ MORE
US Court Orders FBI, DEA to Release Investigation Records on Tinubu
FBI Asks US Court to Keep Tinubu Probe Records Secret
US Court Permits Private Review of Tinubu-Related FBI Files
