The FBI has submitted sealed declarations and supporting material to US District Judge Beryl Howell as it seeks to keep parts of its records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from release. The agency delivered the material on August 28, 2026, for Howell’s private review.
First Nigerian reports that the latest filing supports the FBI’s renewed summary-judgment motion. The agency says it cannot explain some of its claims in the court record because the explanation could reveal law-enforcement techniques or information that could endanger an individual.
The FBI’s August 28 declaration also states: “The responsive records herein were compiled in furtherance of the FBI’s investigation of multiple individuals for drug trafficking crimes.” The declaration describes the purpose of the records but does not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence or that a court convicted him.
The case began after Aaron Greenspan filed FOIA requests for Tinubu’s entire FBI file and Form 302 interview reports from FBI Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU covering 1992 and 1993.
Initially, the FBI issued a Glomar response and declined to confirm whether the requested files existed. In April 2025, Howell rejected that response after finding that the US government had already acknowledged an investigation involving Tinubu. She ordered the FBI and DEA to search for and process material that did not qualify for an exemption.
Howell did not order the agencies to release the files without redactions. Instead, the FBI had to process the requests and justify any material it withheld under FOIA.
The agency now cites Exemptions 6, 7(C), 7(D), 7(E) and 7(F). Those provisions cover personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and procedures, and threats to life or physical safety.
Tinubu’s lawyers have asked Howell to reject Greenspan’s request for further release. They argue that FOIA’s public-interest test concerns what records reveal about government activity, while Greenspan’s requests focus on information about Tinubu himself. They also rely on privacy protections under FOIA and the Privacy Act.
Howell must now assess whether the FBI conducted an adequate search, whether its evidence supports each exemption and whether the agency can separate exempt material from portions that FOIA requires it to release.
If Howell rejects a withholding, she can order the FBI to release the affected material. If she accepts the agency’s claims, the FBI can continue withholding the covered portions.
