FBI Warns Releasing Some Tinubu Records Could Endanger Lives, Seeks Secret Court Review

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that releasing some records relating to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could endanger the life or physical safety of individuals, as the agency seeks permission to explain its reasons for withholding the information privately.

The development is contained in a court application dated August 20, 2026, filed before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The FBI is asking the court to allow it to submit a confidential declaration to explain, away from the public record, why certain information contained in the requested records should remain undisclosed.

The request is part of a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case involving American businessman and PlainSite founder Aaron Greenspan, who has been seeking records held by US government agencies concerning Tinubu and investigations dating back to the early 1990s.

According to the FBI's filing, two of the requests at the centre of the dispute concern records relating to Tinubu.

One request sought the entire FBI file for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while another sought FBI Form 302 interview records involving Tinubu from an FBI case covering the period between 1992 and 1993.

The FBI said it had relied on several exemptions under the US Freedom of Information Act in withholding portions of the requested material.

Among the exemptions cited are provisions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information whose disclosure could threaten the life or physical safety of an individual.

The agency said it could not publicly provide the full explanation for its reliance on two of the exemptions, identified as Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F).

It therefore asked the court for permission to submit an “ex parte” and “in camera” declaration.

In legal terms, an ex parte, in camera submission allows information to be presented privately to the judge for review rather than being made available to the opposing party or the public.

The FBI said the confidential filing would allow the court to examine the information and assess the agency's reasons for withholding it without requiring the sensitive details to be placed on the public record.

If the court grants the request, the FBI said it expects to submit the confidential declarations before August 28.

The agency's application does not state that the release of every record concerning Tinubu would endanger lives.

Rather, the FBI says disclosure of information covered by particular exemptions could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of an individual.

The distinction is significant because the confidential explanation the FBI wants to provide to the judge has not yet been made public.

### What is the case about?

The latest filing is part of a legal battle that began after Greenspan submitted multiple FOIA requests to US federal agencies seeking records connected to investigations from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The requests involved several agencies, including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Greenspan subsequently challenged the agencies' refusal to confirm or deny the existence of some of the requested records.

The dispute eventually reached the US District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Beryl Howell has presided over the case.

In April 2025, Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA had not sufficiently justified their continued use of what is known as a “Glomar response” in relation to records concerning Tinubu.

A Glomar response allows a government agency to refuse to confirm or deny whether responsive records exist.

The court ordered the agencies to lift the responses and address the requests in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

The latest dispute now concerns the FBI's withholding of certain information and the agency's request to explain some of its reasons to the judge privately.

### Records date back to the 1990s

The records sought by Greenspan include documents and interview materials connected to investigations from the early 1990s.

One of the requests specifically seeks FBI 302 interview records involving Tinubu during 1992 and 1993.

FBI Form 302 is generally used by the agency to document summaries of interviews conducted by its agents.

The case has attracted significant attention in Nigeria because of its connection to records concerning Tinubu's activities in the United States decades ago.

However, the current court proceedings concern the disclosure of government records under the US Freedom of Information Act.

The FBI's latest application is not a new criminal charge or indictment against Tinubu.

It is also important to distinguish between allegations or information contained in historical investigative records and an established finding of criminal wrongdoing.

### FBI seeks private review

In its application, the FBI argued that publicly explaining the full basis for withholding certain information could undermine the very interests the agency is seeking to protect.

The agency said the court could privately examine the material and determine whether its reliance on the relevant FOIA exemptions was justified.

The plaintiff, Greenspan, opposed the FBI's request for the confidential submission, according to the filing.

The FBI said the parties conferred on August 19 regarding the application and that Greenspan indicated his opposition to the relief being sought.

The court has not, based on the filing reviewed, publicly disclosed the sensitive explanation the FBI wants to submit.

The proposed confidential declarations are therefore yet to reveal what specific information the agency believes could create a risk to individuals or disclose protected investigative methods.

The latest development adds another stage to the lengthy legal effort to obtain the US government records relating to Tinubu.

The court will determine whether the FBI should be permitted to submit its explanation privately and under seal as requested.