The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has told a U.S. federal court that releasing certain investigative records concerning President Bola Tinubu could expose its informants and agents to violent retaliation.
The bureau made the submission in a court filing dated August 28, 2026, in response to ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation before Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.
The case was initiated by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving Tinubu during the 1980s and 1990s.
Greenspan had also sought documents concerning Tinubu held by several U.S. government agencies, including the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. immigration authorities.
In its latest filing, the FBI relied on FOIA Exemption 7(F), which allows agencies to withhold information where its disclosure could reasonably be expected to endanger an individual's life or physical safety.
The FBI said releasing information contained in the investigative records could expose people who participated in or assisted the investigation to retaliation.
The bureau stated that disclosure could “shed light on the criminal activities of third parties” and potentially prompt retaliation against individuals who cooperated with investigators.
“Additionally, whether they provided information or participated in the investigation as law enforcement personnel, it is likely these individuals would be violently targeted by third parties involved in the criminal activities associated with this specific drug trafficking investigation or by members of the public,” the FBI said.
The agency further argued that some individuals connected to the investigation could consider the records “derogatory” or “incriminating.”
“For these reasons, the FBI reasonably determined that the release of any of these individuals’ names or information in the context of these specific investigative records would endanger their lives or physical safety,” the bureau said.
The FBI said it therefore invoked Exemption 7(F), alongside other provisions protecting personal privacy and confidential law-enforcement information.
The filing was submitted on behalf of the FBI by Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The agency’s response came after Judge Howell directed the FBI to explain why the records relating to the allegations against Tinubu should remain withheld.
The judge also asked the agency to submit the disputed materials for private judicial review after the FBI requested an *ex parte, in camera* examination of the documents.
The case has attracted political attention in Nigeria, particularly as political parties and aspirants prepare for the 2027 presidential election.
The documents sought in the FOIA litigation include records connected to a U.S. government investigation into narcotics-related allegations involving Tinubu. The case also concerns a $460,000 forfeiture involving Tinubu and U.S. authorities.
In an earlier development, a U.S. court criticised delays by the FBI and DEA in dealing with requests for records relating to the investigation.
The FBI announced in 2023 that it planned to release about 2,500 pages of records concerning Tinubu in monthly batches of 500 pages.
The proposed release was subsequently challenged by Tinubu. He argued that disclosure of the records before the conclusion of proceedings in Nigeria could adversely affect him.
The latest FBI filing does not establish the allegations against Tinubu as fact. Rather, the bureau is asking the court to allow it to continue withholding portions of the records on grounds that disclosure could threaten the safety of people connected to the investigation.
Judge Howell will ultimately determine whether the FBI has provided sufficient legal grounds for withholding the records or whether some or all of the documents must be released under the FOIA.
