The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that releasing certain investigative records concerning President Bola Tinubu could expose its agents and informants to possible “violent retaliation” from individuals connected to the alleged criminal activities under investigation.
According to Peoples Gazette, the warning was contained in a court filing submitted on Friday, August 28, in a Freedom of Information Act case before Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
The records sought relate to longstanding requests for documents concerning allegations of drug trafficking involving Tinubu during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as records reportedly held by various US government agencies.
CityNews understands that American transparency activist, Aaron Greenspan, initiated the FOIA litigation, requesting access to records relating to the Nigerian President from the FBI and other US agencies.
The requests, filed in proceedings between 2022 and 2023, included records allegedly held by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and US immigration authorities.
In opposing the release of the documents, the FBI relied on an exemption under FOIA that permits withholding information when disclosure could endanger an individual’s life or physical safety.
The bureau argued that releasing names or other identifying details contained in the investigative material could expose people who participated in or assisted the investigation to reprisals.
According to the FBI, the records could contain information that individuals involved in the alleged criminal activities might regard as “derogatory” or “incriminating.”
The bureau stated, “Additionally, whether they provided information or participated in the investigation as law enforcement personnel, it is likely these individuals would be violently targeted by third parties involved in the criminal activities associated with this specific drug trafficking investigation or by members of the public.”
It added that the information could therefore pose a direct threat to the safety of those whose identities appeared in the files.
The agency said, “For these reasons, the FBI reasonably determined that the release of any of these individuals’ names or information in the context of these specific investigative records would endanger their lives or physical safety.”
The bureau said it consequently invoked Exemption 7(F), alongside other applicable exemptions, to shield the information.
The latest filing followed a directive by Howell, who had given the FBI a deadline of August 28 to explain why the records should continue to be withheld.
The judge also asked the agency to submit the disputed materials privately for judicial review.
The request followed an application by the FBI for what is known as an “ex parte, in camera declaration,” which would allow the judge to review the agency’s explanation and relevant materials without publicly disclosing sensitive information.
