The controversy surrounding the release of United States government records linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a fresh turn, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warning that releasing some of the documents could endanger lives.
The FBI made the disclosure in a filing before the US District Court for the District of Columbia on August 20, 2026, as it sought permission to submit a confidential declaration explaining why certain records should remain withheld.
The bureau told the court that publicly explaining the full basis for withholding some of the records could expose sensitive law-enforcement techniques and procedures.
It therefore asked to make an ex parte, in-camera filing, allowing the judge to consider its explanation privately and under seal.
The records are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for documents relating to Tinubu and investigations dating back to 1992 and 1993.
Among the materials requested are Tinubu’s FBI file and interview records connected to a historical FBI investigation.
The FBI said it had relied on several FOIA exemptions, including provisions protecting personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information whose disclosure could endanger an individual’s life or physical safety.
The latest development comes amid a prolonged legal battle over the disclosure of historical US law-enforcement records concerning Tinubu.
In an earlier ruling, US District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the FBI and DEA’s continued reliance on so-called “Glomar responses”, through which agencies neither confirm nor deny whether responsive records exist.
The judge subsequently ordered the agencies to search for and process records that could lawfully be disclosed.
The case centres on records connected to investigations in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s, including a 1993 civil forfeiture involving approximately $460,000 surrendered to US authorities by Tinubu.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States. The FOIA proceedings are concerned with access to government records and do not constitute a criminal trial or a judicial finding that Tinubu committed a drug-related offence.
The FBI has indicated that, if permitted by the court, it would submit its confidential declaration by August 28.
The development is expected to heighten attention around the case, particularly over what information may eventually be released publicly and what portions the FBI could legally keep under seal.
For now, the dispute has entered another critical phase, with the FBI seeking to convince the court that some of the records require continued protection despite the ongoing push for transparency.