Alleged Drug Case: FBI Finally Submits Tinubu’s Records to US Judge

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has submitted records connected to allegations involving President Bola Tinubu and a 1993 drug-trafficking and money-laundering case to a federal judge in Washington, D.C.

Alleged Drug Case: FBI Finally Submits Tinubu’s Records to US Judge

The documents were submitted to Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, August 28, 2026, following an earlier court directive requiring the FBI to provide the records for review.

The bureau delivered the documents directly to the court and asked that they remain sealed while the judge examines their contents. This means the records have not yet been released to Aaron Greenspan, the transparency campaigner who requested them under the US Freedom of Information Act.

Greenspan submitted his FOIA request in 2023 in an effort to obtain records held by the FBI concerning Tinubu. Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin later worked with him in seeking access to the documents.

The latest submission followed several missed deadlines by the FBI in the case. Judge Howell had ordered the bureau to provide the records and later set August 28 as the final deadline for compliance after expressing concerns about delays in the process.

The documents were submitted for an ex parte and in-camera review, meaning the judge will examine the materials privately before deciding what should happen to them.

The dispute has centred on whether the FBI should release records concerning Tinubu and whether parts of the material can be withheld under US privacy and information-access laws.

The FBI had previously argued that releasing the documents could interfere with Tinubu’s privacy rights. The bureau also maintained that the Freedom of Information Act mainly provides public access to government records and does not automatically require the release of private information about individuals.

Tinubu has also opposed the release of the records. His position, as reported in the case, is that making the documents public could be used by political opponents to damage his reputation, particularly as Nigeria moves towards another election cycle.

The records relate to allegations surrounding Tinubu’s dealings with American authorities during the 1990s. The controversy includes a 1993 case involving allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering and the forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of dollars linked to the case.

Tinubu has generally avoided giving extensive public comments on the matter.

The issue has remained a subject of public discussion in Nigeria, particularly following the release in 2023 of court documents from the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Those documents provided details about Tinubu’s dealings with American authorities during the period in question.

The latest development does not mean that the records have been made public. For now, the documents remain with Judge Howell under seal, and any decision on whether they can be released will depend on further proceedings in the case.

The court’s review could determine whether the materials, or portions of them, will eventually be disclosed to Greenspan or remain protected from public access.