Isaac Samuel
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the subject of a criminal investigation into drug-trafficking offences in the early 1990s.
The disclosure was contained in a sworn declaration filed by the FBI on August 28, 2026, before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking access to records relating to Tinubu.
In the declaration, the FBI said the records sought were “compiled in furtherance” of investigations involving several individuals over drug-trafficking crimes.
The agency also noted that the court had previously determined that there had been an official acknowledgement of an investigation involving Tinubu.
The latest development follows an April 2025 ruling by US District Judge Beryl Howell, who held that the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could no longer rely on “Glomar” responses to refuse to confirm or deny the existence of records concerning the Nigerian president.
Howell ruled that the agencies had not established sufficient privacy grounds to conceal the fact that Tinubu had been the subject of an investigation and ordered them to process records requested under the FOIA, subject to applicable exemptions.
However, the ruling did not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence or that he was convicted of any crime.
The FOIA requests were filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought, among other documents, the “entire FBI file for Bola Ahmed Tinubu” and FBI Form 302 interview records connected to Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU between 1992 and 1993.
The requests were linked to a broader effort to obtain records concerning a Chicago heroin-trafficking operation that was investigated in the early 1990s.
The FBI has continued to withhold portions of the records, citing FOIA exemptions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information that could endanger individuals if disclosed.
Atiku-linked firm publicises FBI declaration
Portions of the latest FBI declaration were publicised by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm hired by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The firm said it was reviewing a large volume of documents obtained from the FBI and redacting portions where necessary.
It said the document was released to counter claims that Tinubu had never been the subject of a criminal investigation.
The firm further said the FBI declaration showed that an investigation of Tinubu had been officially acknowledged by the court.
Reacting to the development, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, dismissed the controversy as politically motivated.
Dare accused Atiku of using the Washington-based lobbying firm to generate controversy ahead of the 2027 election.
He described the campaign as “a clinical demonstration of desperation”, insisting that the materials being circulated did not amount to any new intelligence revelation.
According to him, statements issued by the lobbying firm should not be portrayed as the position of the US government.
Dare also challenged those making claims about classified intelligence to produce the alleged intelligence report and supporting evidence.
He alleged that US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings showed that Atiku contracted Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer.
Dare said the arrangement was intended to counter the Nigerian government’s narrative and exploit historical US judicial records for political purposes ahead of the 2027 elections.
He also questioned the involvement of the firm’s principal, Dr Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, in the FOIA matter, insisting that the firm was not involved in the underlying court proceedings.
According to Dare, the case had been ongoing since 2023 and the FBI’s principal concern was the protection of investigative techniques and confidential sources.
Dare also rejected suggestions that Tinubu’s current foreign trip was connected to the FOIA proceedings, saying the President was on a previously scheduled annual leave.
He cited comments by Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Afolabi, SAN, who recently discussed the case on Channels Television.
Dare said Afolabi had explained that the continued withholding of some records was based on US legal provisions protecting confidential investigative processes.
He added that the lawyer had argued that if Tinubu had been criminally liable under US law, American authorities would have indicted and prosecuted him at the time.
The presidential aide accused the opposition of relying on decades-old US records rather than presenting Nigerians with policy alternatives ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He said the election should be determined by the government’s performance and competing policy proposals rather than controversies over historical US records.
Meanwhile, Tinubu’s legal team has opposed further disclosure of the records, arguing that releasing personal information contained in government archives would violate his privacy rights.
