Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has submitted records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 case involving allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering to a U.S. federal judge for private review, according to court filings seen by Peoples Gazette.
The records were reportedly hand-delivered on Friday, August 28, 2026, to Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under seal and for the judge’s review only.
The development followed a court order directing the FBI to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan.
Mr Greenspan had filed the FOIA petition in 2023, seeking records relating to Mr Tinubu. Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin worked with Mr Greenspan on the petition.
Court filings indicated that the FBI submitted “under seal, ex parte, in camera declarations” to the court on August 28, 2026, in compliance with a minute order issued by the court on August 20.
The submission means the records are being reviewed privately by Judge Howell without immediate access by Mr Greenspan or the public.
The court had earlier expressed concern over delays by the FBI in complying with deadlines and had given the bureau until August 28 to submit the required materials.
The FBI had argued that releasing the records could raise privacy concerns for Mr Tinubu and maintained that the FOIA law was designed primarily to promote transparency in the operations and activities of government agencies rather than disclose private individuals’ information.
Mr Tinubu had also sought to prevent the release of some records, arguing that his political opponents could use them to damage his reputation in Nigeria. He urged the court to protect his privacy interests.
The matter stems from a decades-old case in the United States involving allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. In 1993, Mr Tinubu reached a civil forfeiture settlement with U.S. authorities involving funds linked to an account under his name, an issue that has remained politically controversial in Nigeria.
Separately, a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois released documents in 2023 relating to Mr Tinubu’s past dealings with American authorities in connection with the case.
The FBI’s latest submission does not mean the records have been released to the public. Judge Howell is expected to review the materials and determine whether any of the documents, or portions of them, should be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.
