FBI Finally Submits Tinubu’s 1993 Drug Case Records to US Judge for Review
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has submitted records connected to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 drug-trafficking and money-laundering investigation to a United States federal judge for confidential review.
The documents were submitted to Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, August 28, after the court ordered the FBI to comply with a deadline in the long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case.
The records have not been released to the public or provided to Aaron Greenspan, the American transparency campaigner who has been pursuing access to the files.
According to court filings, the FBI submitted the records “under seal, ex parte, in camera.” This means the material has been placed under seal and presented privately to Judge Howell for her review.
The development does not mean the FBI records have now become public, nor does it represent a new judicial finding against Tinubu.
Instead, Judge Howell is expected to examine the documents and determine whether the FBI has sufficient legal grounds to withhold some or all of the material.
The submission follows months of dispute between the FBI, the court and Greenspan over the release of records connected to investigations involving Tinubu during the early 1990s.
Greenspan initially sought the records through FOIA requests before taking legal action against several US government agencies. He worked with Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin in pursuing access to the documents.
The records being sought include the FBI’s file relating to Tinubu as well as interview records known as Form 302 reports from the 1992 and 1993 period.
The dispute has continued for several years, with US government agencies repeatedly requesting additional time to review the material and determine which information could legally be disclosed.
Judge Howell eventually took a firmer position on the repeated delays and set August 28 as a significant deadline in the case.
The FBI had previously asked the court for permission to privately present some of its reasons for withholding the records.
The bureau argued that providing a complete explanation publicly could expose sensitive law-enforcement information.
The FBI has relied on several exemptions contained in the US Freedom of Information Act, including provisions concerning personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative techniques and information that could potentially endanger an individual.
In an earlier filing, the FBI said, “The FBI has determined that it cannot provide on the public record the full basis for the application of Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F) to certain withholdings and that, therefore, an ex parte, under seal declaration is necessary.”
That request ultimately allowed the FBI to make the confidential submission now before Judge Howell.
The case is linked to allegations and investigations involving Tinubu during his time in the United States in the early 1990s.
One of the matters associated with the dispute concerns a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in Chicago involving approximately $460,000.
US court records previously released to the public showed that funds linked to Tinubu were forfeited to the United States government.
Tinubu has denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally convicted in connection with the matter.
His legal team has also opposed the release of the FBI records, arguing that disclosure would violate his privacy rights.
In earlier court filings, Tinubu argued that releasing additional records publicly could expose private information without producing any new criminal finding against him.
His lawyers have also maintained that some information relating to the old case is already publicly available.
Rather than releasing the disputed documents directly to Greenspan, the FBI has now placed them before Judge Howell for review.
The judge will determine which portions of the material, if any, are protected from disclosure under US law.
An in-camera review is a legal procedure that allows a judge to personally inspect disputed documents when a government agency argues that publicly disclosing their contents, or the reasons for withholding them, could reveal protected information.
The FBI’s submission does not automatically mean that the records will eventually be released.
Judge Howell could order the disclosure of some of the documents, uphold the withholding of certain portions, or ask the FBI to provide additional information before reaching a final decision.
Also Read: Tinubu Moves to Block FBI and DEA from Releasing His Unredacted Files in U.S. FOIA Battle
The records therefore remain inaccessible to Greenspan and the wider public while the judicial review continues.
PulseNets had earlier reported that Tinubu joined the US Department of Justice in seeking additional time in the FOIA case concerning the records.
The president’s legal team had opposed disclosure of the documents, arguing that releasing them could infringe on his privacy.
