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FBI Says Release of Tinubu-Related Records Could Endanger Agents and Informants
A supplied account says the FBI asked a federal court to keep some records concerning alleged drug-related activity linked to Bola Tinubu confidential, citing risks to agents, informants, and others named in the files.
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A supplied report says the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation warned in a court filing that agents and informants could face assassination or other serious violence if records concerning alleged drug-trafficking activity linked to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu were made public.
The report says the filing was submitted in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit before Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. The exact filing date was not supplied.
According to the supplied account, American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan requested records concerning alleged drug-related activity involving Mr. Tinubu in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The requests reportedly extended to the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and U.S. immigration authorities.
The FBI reportedly relied on FOIA Exemption 7(F), along with privacy exemptions, to argue that some material should be withheld. The Bureau said that revealing identities or identifying details could expose people who assisted investigations or provided information to retaliation, and that some individuals named in the records could view the material as derogatory or incriminating.
The supplied report says Judge Howell directed the FBI to explain why the records should remain confidential and permitted the agency to provide its explanation and relevant documents privately for the court’s review. A private submission or agency warning is not a public finding that the underlying allegations are true.
The account also refers to records connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving $460,000 associated with Mr. Tinubu that was later forfeited to the U.S. government. Crime Watch Global has not independently reviewed the court filing, the requested FBI or DEA records, the underlying investigation, or the allegations described in the supplied report.
The supplied material does not establish a current charge, conviction, or court determination against Bola Tinubu. Readers should distinguish between an agency’s legal argument for withholding records, allegations described in those records, and any future public court finding.
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NigeriaUnited StatesFBIDEAFOIACourt FilingBola TinubuRecords Secrecy
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