US Judge Grants FBI Request for Closed-Door Review of Tinubu Records
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| Bola Ahmed Tinubu (President of Nigeria) |
A U.S. federal court has approved a request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit confidential documents for a private judicial review concerning investigative records linked to President Bola Tinubu.
Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the motion, allowing the bureau to present an ex parte, in camera declaration—a written statement provided directly to the judge without public disclosure. The ruling also established an August 28 deadline for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Justice, and President Tinubu to file their formal oppositions to releasing the requested documents.
In its filing, the FBI argued that publicly detailing its rationale for withholding certain records would compromise sensitive law enforcement methodologies and jeopardize individual safety. The private submission allows the court to evaluate the justification for withholding information under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions while maintaining necessary confidentiality.
US law enforcement agency said if it acceded to the requests, it “would, among other things, disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations and/or could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.”
The FBI’s application reads in part: “One of the requests at issue is the request assigned Request Number 1588244-000, which sought ‘[t]he entire FBI file for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, DOB 3/29/1952, President-Elect of Nigeria as of February 2023.
“Plaintiff submitted a second FOIA request to the FBI seeking ‘FBI 302 interviews with Bola Tinubu from FBI Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU during the timeframe 1992-1993.’
“This was assigned Request Number 1593615-000. The FBI has invoked various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemptions, including 6, 7(C), 7(D), 7(E) and 7(F) regarding these requests, and determined the information withheld from Plaintiff in this case, if disclosed, would, among other things, disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations and/or could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.
“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.”
Between 2022 and 2023, American activist Aaron Greenspan filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking records from the FBI, DEA, IRS, and other federal agencies regarding investigations into President Bola Tinubu. The requested documents pertain to allegations of drug trafficking and a 1993 civil forfeiture case in which $460,000 linked to Tinubu was forfeited to the U.S. government.
Tinubu was never criminally charged in connection with the matter and has consistently maintained that the proceeding was a civil settlement.
