30/08/2026
FBI Raises Fresh Alarm Over Tinubu’s Records, Says Agents Could Be Assassinated
A fresh development in the long-running controversy over records linked to President Bola Tinubu’s past in the United States has attracted attention after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned that some of its agents and informants could face serious danger if certain records are released to the public.
The warning was contained in a court filing connected to a Freedom of Information Act case before Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, DC. The case was brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has been seeking records concerning Tinubu and alleged activities linked to his time in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.
Greenspan had asked several US agencies for records connected to Tinubu, including the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and immigration authorities.
The latest court filing has now brought a new layer to the matter. The FBI says releasing some identifying information contained in the records could expose people who took part in investigations, or supplied information to investigators, to possible retaliation.
The bureau relied on provisions of the US Freedom of Information Act that allow law-enforcement agencies to withhold information when releasing it could reasonably put someone's life or physical safety at risk.
According to reports on the filing, the FBI warned that some people mentioned in the records could face violent retaliation if their identities became public. This is the basis for the widely reported warning that agents or informants could potentially be assassinated if sensitive details were released.
The court dispute is important because the records being sought relate to old investigations involving Tinubu, who is now Nigeria's president. The case has therefore attracted political interest in Nigeria, where supporters and critics of the president have already taken different positions on questions surrounding his past.
However, one point needs to be made very clear: the FBI's warning about the possible danger of releasing information does not, by itself, establish that Tinubu committed drug trafficking or any other crime.
It also does not mean that every person mentioned in the records is guilty of wrongdoing. The FBI's argument is mainly about whether certain information should remain protected because of the possible risks associated with exposing it.
The issue has nevertheless become politically sensitive. Critics of the president are likely to demand that more information should be made public, arguing that Nigerians have a right to understand the background of a sitting president. Those defending Tinubu may point out that allegations and investigative records should not automatically be presented as proof of guilt.
The FBI has also faced pressure over its handling of the records. Reports say the wider dispute includes documents connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving $460,000 associated with Tinubu that was forfeited to the US government.
For now, the final decision rests with the US court. Judge Howell has allowed the FBI to submit some explanations and records privately for judicial review.
That means the public may still have to wait before knowing how much of the requested material will eventually become available.
Source: ghanaweb.com