FBI Seeks to Keep Tinubu Drug Investigation Files Secret

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a request with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on August 20, 2026, seeking to keep certain records linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu undisclosed. The FBI intends to submit a confidential declaration to explain its reasoning privately, emphasizing that public disclosure could endanger lives and reveal law enforcement methods.

The records in question are part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, concerning investigations dating back to the early 1990s related to drug trafficking and money laundering allegations against Tinubu. The FBI has invoked multiple exemptions under the FOIA, specifically Exemptions 6, 7(C), 7(D), 7(E), and 7(F), to justify withholding information.

The agency clarified that the existence of these records does not imply that Tinubu has committed a crime, as he has not been convicted of drug trafficking related to these investigations.