The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has submitted records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 case involving allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering to a US federal judge.
Sponsored Ads
The documents were delivered to Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, August 28, 2026, according to court filings.
Sponsored Ads
The FBI submitted the materials under seal and requested that they be reviewed privately by the judge. The submission was made in response to a court order directing the agency to provide the records following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The case originated from a 2023 FOIA request filed by transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan, who worked with Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin to seek the release of records concerning Tinubu.
The FBI had previously delayed the release of the documents and asked the court for additional time to address issues surrounding their disclosure.
Judge Howell subsequently set August 28 as the deadline for the agency to comply with her directive.
RELATED STORIES
Related Posts
Rather than release the records directly to Greenspan, the FBI delivered them to the court for an in-camera review. The documents were also submitted ex parte, meaning the petitioner was not present during the judge’s initial examination.
The development followed the FBI’s earlier argument that releasing some of the requested information could raise privacy concerns. The agency had also maintained that the Freedom of Information Act was primarily intended to provide access to government records and did not automatically require the disclosure of information concerning private individuals.
Tinubu has previously opposed the release of the records, arguing that the request was connected to attempts by political opponents to damage his reputation ahead of Nigeria’s elections.
The controversy relates to events in the United States in the early 1990s involving allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. Records previously released by a US court showed that Tinubu forfeited a substantial amount of money to US authorities in connection with the matter.
The President has faced repeated questions over the case but has generally declined to provide detailed public explanations of the allegations.
The latest submission means the requested FBI records are now before Judge Howell, although they have not yet been made available to the public or the petitioner.
The court is expected to determine what portions of the materials, if any, can be released publicly after considering the FBI’s claims and the applicable FOIA requirements.
Comments are closed.