The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has explained why the alleged drug trafficking record of President Bola Tinubu cannot be released.
This is as the FBI asked a US court to allow it to keep some records concerning an old investigation linked to Tinubu from public disclosure.
The agency cited the need to protect law-enforcement methods and the safety of individuals.
The request was contained in a motion filed on August 20, 2026 at the US District Court for the District of Columbia, where the FBI asked to privately provide the judge with additional details supporting its decision to withhold parts of the records.
The FBI seeks to submit the explanation ex parte and in camera, meaning the material would be presented directly to the judge without being made available as part of the public court record.
According to the FBI, a public explanation would itself risk revealing information that it is seeking to protect, noting that some of the withheld material could disclose investigative procedures and techniques used by law-enforcement authorities, while other information could expose people to threats to their physical safety.
DAILY POST gathered that the filing was publicised on X by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm.
The dispute emanated from two Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, requests submitted for FBI records connected to Tinubu. One request sought the Bureau’s complete file on the Nigerian President, while another sought interview reports known as Form 302s relating to an FBI case from 1992 and 1993.
According to the agency, it had applied several exemptions under the FOIA law to portions of the material. Among them are provisions designed to protect personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information that could threaten an individual’s safety.
The Bureau informed the court that its public filings could not adequately set out the full justification for relying on exemptions 7(E) and 7(F).
It therefore wants to supplement its public submission with a sealed declaration that would allow the judge to examine the classified or sensitive reasoning directly.
If the court approves the request, the FBI said it intends to submit the confidential declaration by August 28.
Alleged drug trafficking: Why Tinubu’s record can’t be released – FBI