FBI records place Nigerian President Tinubu in 1990s heroin trafficking probe
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
The FBI stated in a sworn declaration filed August 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that records on Nigerian President Bola Tinubu were compiled as part of a drug trafficking investigation involving multiple individuals. The filing came in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking access to Tinubu's FBI file and 1992-1993 interrogation records. Judge Beryl Howell ruled in April 2025 that public court documents officially acknowledge Tinubu's presence in a criminal investigation involving the FBI and DEA.
Key Facts
- The FBI's sworn declaration was filed August 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as part of a FOIA lawsuit.
- The FBI stated the requested records were compiled during an investigation into drug trafficking offenses involving multiple individuals, and that Tinubu's name appears in those records.
- The records are linked to a broader heroin trafficking and money laundering investigation centered in Chicago in the early 1990s.
- U.S. citizen Aaron Greenspan filed the lawsuit demanding Tinubu's complete FBI file and interrogation and interview records from 1992 and 1993.
- Judge Beryl Howell ruled in April 2025 that public court documents officially acknowledge Tinubu's presence in a criminal investigation involving the FBI and DEA.
The FBI Declaration
The FBI submitted a sworn declaration on August 28 to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington. The declaration states that the requested records were compiled as part of an investigation into drug trafficking offenses involving multiple individuals. It confirms that Tinubu's name appears in FBI records related to that investigation. The Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York published portions of the declaration and said it obtained numerous documents from the FBI, some of which were redacted before release.
The FOIA Lawsuit
U.S. citizen Aaron Greenspan filed the lawsuit seeking Tinubu's complete FBI file and interrogation and interview records from 1992 and 1993. The records are connected to a broader heroin trafficking and money laundering operation centered in Chicago in the early 1990s. Judge Beryl Howell ruled in April 2025 that public court documents officially acknowledge Tinubu's presence in a criminal investigation involving the FBI and DEA. The court ordered the FBI and DEA to search for and process documents requested under FOIA that are not barred from disclosure by law.
No Criminal Finding
Court records contain no finding that Tinubu committed any crime. Tinubu's lawyers oppose the disclosure of some documents.
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