By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
Abuja / Washington – September 1, 2026
DDNewsOnline
Thirty-three years after a U.S. civil forfeiture case linked to bank accounts in his name, President Bola Tinubu’s FBI files remain under seal amid an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in the United States.
The controversy dates back to the early 1990s according to research by DDNews reporters Efunbajo Ibitoye Victoria & Onabanjo Boluwatife Ifeoluwa when American law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), investigated a network suspected of trafficking heroin and moving drug proceeds through financial institutions in Chicago.
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Investigators traced transactions involving accounts belonging to Tinubu at First Heritage Bank in Illinois, which he opened in December 1989. An affidavit by IRS Special Agent Kevin Moss linked some of the transactions to Nigerian nationals Mueez Adegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele, who were connected to the wider investigation.
On July 26, 1993, the United States filed a civil forfeiture case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against funds held in Tinubu’s name and accounts connected to Compass Finance & Investment Company. The case was not a criminal trial against Tinubu.
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Under a settlement approved in September 1993, the U.S. government retained $460,000 from an account at First Heritage Bank. On October 4, 1993, Judge John A. Nordberg entered a final decree of forfeiture, stating that the money represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or was involved in unlawful financial transactions. Tinubu was not convicted of any criminal offence in the case.
The issue has resurfaced through a FOIA lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Greenspan is seeking the release of FBI and DEA records related to past investigations involving Tinubu.
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In August 2026, Tinubu’s lawyers formally opposed the release of the records, citing privacy protections under U.S. law. The FBI also asked the court for permission to privately explain why some materials should remain confidential, citing privacy, confidential sources, investigative techniques and potential risks to individuals’ safety.
On August 28, 2026, the FBI submitted the disputed records to Judge Beryl Howell for private review. The records have not been released to the public.
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The case has been marked by repeated delays. In February 2026, Judge Howell criticised the FBI and DEA for missing deadlines, noting that the matter had already been pending for more than three years. In April 2025, the judge rejected the agencies’ “Glomar response,” which sought to neither confirm nor deny the existence of records, and ordered them to process materials not protected under FOIA exemptions.
Despite the court order, a full public release is not guaranteed. The FBI continues to invoke exemptions covering personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative methods and safety concerns. Tinubu’s legal team is also actively seeking to restrict disclosure.
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As Nigeria approaches the 2027 presidential election, opposition figures have intensified calls for the records to be made public, while the sealed files remain the subject of legal arguments in the United States.
Whether Nigerians will see a comprehensive release of the documents before the election remains uncertain and now rests with the U.S. court.
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By: Efunbajo Ibitoye Victoria and Onabanjo Boluwatife Ifeoluwa
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