FBI Confirms Tinubu Was Investigated in the 1990s, Gives Other Details
- The FBI filed a sworn declaration in a US federal court on August 28, 2026, confirming Tinubu was investigated for drug hawking in the early 1990s
- The confirmation came through an ongoing FOIA case filed by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought the FBI's full file on the Nigerian president
- The Presidency fired back, accusing former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of funding a Washington lobbying firm to weaponise the records ahead of the 2027 elections
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The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed in a sworn court declaration that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was investigated in connection with drug-related crimes in the early 1990s, while making clear the confirmation does not amount to a finding of guilt.
The declaration, filed on August 28, 2026, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, stated that records being sought in the case were "compiled in furtherance of the FBI's investigation of multiple individuals for drug-related crimes." The agency also acknowledged that a court had previously made an official finding that an investigation involving Tinubu existed.
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Background: How the FOIA case began
The proceedings trace back to requests filed by Aaron Greenspan, an American transparency activist, who asked for records including the "entire FBI file for Bola Ahmed Tinubu" and FBI Form 302 interview documents from Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU, covering the period between 1992 and 1993. Those requests are tied to a broader effort to access files on a Chicago-based gang operation that US authorities investigated during that period.
The case gained fresh momentum after a ruling in April 2025 by US District Judge Beryl Howell, who found that the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration could no longer deploy so-called "Glomar" responses to avoid confirming or denying the existence of relevant records. Judge Howell directed both agencies to process records not covered by exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.
According to The Tribune, Despite this, the FBI has continued to withhold portions of the documents, citing grounds that include personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques, and the safety of individuals named in the files.
Presidency accuses Atiku of political manipulation
The disclosure was amplified by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm that said it was reviewing records obtained from the FBI. The firm stated on its X account that the FBI declaration contradicted prior claims that Tinubu had never been investigated.
The Presidency responded sharply. Special Adviser Sunday Dare accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of hiring the firm to stir controversy before the 2027 presidential election. Dare said US Department of Justice Foreign Agents Registration Act filings showed that Atiku contracted the firm on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer, with the aim of deploying historical US court records as political leverage.
Dare described the situation as "a clinical demonstration of desperation" and cautioned against treating statements from a lobbying firm as the position of the US government. He also cited Tinubu's lawyer, Wole Afolabi, SAN, who argued on Channels Television that if the President had been criminally liable under US law, American authorities would have charged and prosecuted him at the time.
The FBI's declaration confirms that Tinubu featured in a drug-related investigation during the early 1990s. The publicly available court material does not, on its own, establish that he committed or was convicted of any offence.
APC LG chairman shot dead in Kogi
Legit.ng earlier reported that gunmen shot and killed APC Chairman Ishaq Yunusa along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway in Kogi State on Thursday.
Armed attackers emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire on motorists at about 5 pm, leaving a vehicle abandoned on the highway.
Kogi State Police confirmed the attack and launched joint security operations to rescue the abducted victim and track down the assailants.
Source: Legit.ng
