By Jelili Gbadamosi
A US federal court has authorised the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit documents linked to an old investigation involving President Bola Tinubu for private judicial review.
The development is part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking the release of records relating to alleged drug-trafficking activities involving the Nigerian president.
According to a Friday update by Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted the FBI permission to present the documents to the court in camera, meaning the materials will initially be reviewed privately by the judge.
The firm said the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and President Tinubu have been given until August 28, 2026, to oppose the release of the records.
It said the court’s deadline requires the parties to provide their arguments on why the documents should remain undisclosed, while the FBI would also have to justify its position through the confidential submission of the materials for judicial examination.
The lobbying firm claimed that the FBI had acknowledged holding sensitive information connected to allegations involving Tinubu. It further alleged that some of the records could contain information relating to criminal informants.
However, these claims have not been independently established by the court, and the latest development does not amount to a judicial finding that Tinubu engaged in drug trafficking.
The firm also argued that the FBI’s request for a private review raised questions about previous descriptions of the case as being related solely to civil forfeiture.
As of Friday, the development had not appeared on the US court’s public docket, with the information based on the lobbying firm’s post on X.
The case remains ongoing, with the court expected to consider the parties’ arguments before determining whether some or all of the requested records should be released publicly.
