The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that releasing investigative records regarding Nigerian President Bola Tinubu could jeopardize the lives of its agents and confidential informants.
In a recent court filing before Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the bureau argued that public disclosure could expose individuals who assisted in past inquiries to violent retaliation or assassination from third parties linked to the investigations.
The submission forms part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan. Greenspan is seeking documents from multiple U.S. federal agencies—including the CIA, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and immigration authorities—regarding alleged narcotics investigations involving Tinubu during the 1980s and 1990s.
Invoking FOIA Exemption 7(F) alongside standard privacy protections, the FBI stated that disclosing identifying information could put sources at physical risk. The agency noted that individuals named in the files might view the contents as derogatory or incriminating, increasing the threat of reprisal against those who cooperated with law enforcement.
The filing follows an order from Judge Howell requiring the FBI to justify withholding the documents and granting the agency permission to submit sensitive records under seal for private judicial review. U.S. federal agencies have faced continued scrutiny over delays in processing FOIA requests related to Tinubu, including files concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture case in which $460,000 linked to his accounts was forfeited to the U.S. government.
