BREAKING: FBI Court Declaration Confirms Tinubu Was Subject Of Criminal Investigation In US Drug Case
Washington D.C. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has officially confirmed in a sworn court declaration that Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the subject of a criminal investigation for drug trafficking crimes in the early 1990s.
The declaration, submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on August 28, 2026, states that records were “compiled in furtherance of the FBI’s investigation of multiple individuals for drug trafficking crimes”. The FBI further confirmed that “the court has already determined that an official acknowledgement had been made of an investigation of Bola Tinubu”
The document was obtained by Von Batten-Montague-York, a Washington-based lobbying firm hired by former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. The firm posted excerpts on X, stating: “This is a sworn declaration submitted by the FBI to a United States federal court stating that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu was criminally investigated in connection with the trafficking of heroin”.
The firm said it released portions of the document to challenge claims that Tinubu was never criminally investigated. “That claim is false, as shown by the FBI’s sworn declaration,” the firm stated.
The FBI is seeking to keep some records secret, citing exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act to protect personal privacy. The agency has asked the court for permission to submit a confidential declaration explaining why it is withholding certain records.
President Tinubu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has asked the US court to block the release of investigative records concerning him. His legal team argues that releasing the documents would infringe on his privacy rights. They also note that the court has not established that Tinubu committed any crime or that he has a criminal conviction.
The case stems from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, seeking access to FBI records from 1992 to 1993. The legal dispute also involves a 1993 civil forfeiture case in the US linked to approximately $460,000.
The matter is now before the court, where a judge will decide the outcome.
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