The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu was the subject of a criminal investigation into drug-trafficking crimes in the early 1990s.
The confirmation was contained in a sworn declaration filed on Aug. 28, 2026, before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case.
The FBI said the records sought were compiled during its investigation of multiple individuals for drug-trafficking crimes and noted that the court had already determined that an official acknowledgement was made of an investigation involving Tinubu.
The declaration followed an April 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who ordered the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to process non-exempt records after rejecting their reliance on “Glomar” responses.
Howell’s ruling did not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence or was convicted of any crime.
The FOIA requests were filed by U.S. transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought Tinubu’s FBI file and interview records linked to FBI Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU covering 1992 and 1993.
The FBI has continued to withhold portions of the records, citing exemptions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information that could endanger individuals.
A Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, hired by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, publicised portions of the FBI declaration and said it released the document to counter claims that Tinubu had never been criminally investigated.
However, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, dismissed the development as politically motivated and accused Atiku of using the lobbying firm to create controversy ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Dare described the development as “a clinical demonstration of desperation” and said the materials being circulated did not constitute an intelligence breakthrough.
He also questioned the credibility of the lobbying firm’s statements, saying they should not be presented as the position of the U.S. government, and challenged those making allegations to produce evidence supporting claims about classified intelligence.
Dare said Tinubu was on a previously scheduled annual leave and that there was no connection between the President’s foreign trip and the FOIA proceedings. Tinubu’s legal team has also opposed further disclosure of the records, arguing that releasing personal information from government archives would violate his privacy rights.
