FBI cites safety risks in withholding Tinubu-related records

THE United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has told a federal court that releasing some of the information contained in records sought in a case involving President Bola Tinubu could expose individuals to serious safety risks.

The disclosure was contained in the FBI’s latest court filing in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records relating to alleged investigations involving Tinubu dating back to the early 1990s.

The case is before Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

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The FBI has asked the court to allow it to explain privately, under seal, why some of the information should remain withheld. The bureau said its public explanation could not fully set out the basis for invoking FOIA Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F), which cover law-enforcement techniques and threats to individuals’ safety respectively.

According to the bureau, disclosure of certain information could expose people connected with investigations to potential retaliation or physical harm.

The latest development forms part of a long-running legal battle over Greenspan’s requests for FBI and other US government records concerning Tinubu and alleged drug-trafficking and money-laundering investigations from the 1990s.

In an earlier ruling, Judge Howell directed the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration to search for and process non-exempt records after finding that the agencies had not sufficiently justified their earlier refusal to confirm or deny the existence of records concerning Tinubu.

Greenspan had submitted multiple FOIA requests, including one seeking Tinubu’s FBI file and another requesting FBI Form 302 interview records connected to a 1992–1993 investigation.

The FBI subsequently released some material while continuing to withhold other information under several FOIA exemptions, including provisions relating to privacy, confidential sources, investigative techniques and safety.

The bureau’s latest position does not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-related offence. Rather, it concerns the government’s reasons for withholding portions of investigative records and the potential consequences of disclosing information contained in them.

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The dispute has attracted renewed attention because of previous US proceedings involving Tinubu, including a 1990s civil forfeiture case in which $460,000 linked to him was forfeited to the US government.

The latest court proceedings are expected to determine how much of the remaining FBI material can be released publicly and what information must continue to be withheld.

This version keeps the FBI safety-warning angle while avoiding presenting the underlying allegations as established facts.