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A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has clarified why the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is keeping specific records about Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confidential.
The firm said the FBI, as a US government agency, must follow established legal processes, particularly because the records are the subject of an active Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.
Its comments followed an FBI request to a US court for permission to provide additional private explanations for why it withheld portions of records connected to historical investigations involving Tinubu.
The FBI has cited provisions of the US FOIA that protect information which could reveal law-enforcement investigative techniques or “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.”
Von Batten-Montague-York said the situation should be understood within the context of the legal safeguards governing the release of records in the United States.
“Unlike in Nigeria, where President Bola Tinubu can seemingly order the arrest of an individual, in the United States, we have rules and processes that prevent President Donald Trump from having such powers,” the firm said in a post on X.
“The FBI, as a federal agency, must abide by the process, especially since there is an active lawsuit to gain access to the Department of Justice records,” it added.
The firm argued that the FBI’s responsibility includes protecting individuals whose lives or safety could potentially be threatened by the release of sensitive information.
“If President Bola Tinubu was indeed a heroin trafficker who ‘ratted’ on his co-traffickers and became an informant, the FBI has a duty to protect him, especially if Tinubu claims to the FBI that the release of these documents would endanger his life,” the firm said.
The statement, however, does not establish that Tinubu was a heroin trafficker or an FBI informant. Those are allegations and interpretations presented by the firm, not findings contained in the FBI’s latest filing.
Why the FBI wants a private review
The FBI’s latest filing concerns records sought in a long-running FOIA case brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan.
Among the records sought are Tinubu’s FBI file and interview records from 1992–1993.
The FBI said it had already determined that it could not disclose some information under several FOIA exemptions.
However, the agency said its public explanation did not fully establish the basis for withholding some material under exemptions relating to law-enforcement techniques and the protection of individuals.
“The FBI has determined that it cannot provide on the public record the full basis for the application of Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F) to certain withholdings and that, therefore, an ex parte, under seal declaration is necessary,” the agency said in its application.
The request is therefore not, by itself, an indication that the FBI has determined that Tinubu committed a crime. Rather, it concerns whether particular information in the records can legally be withheld from public disclosure.
Von Batten-Montague-York also contrasted the current handling of the records with that of the previous US administration.
“Unlike the Joe Biden DOJ, which did everything to avoid even admitting that criminal records exist concerning President Tinubu, the Trump DOJ has made it very clear that such records exist and that they are highly sensitive,” the firm said.
“The FBI essentially threw Tinubu under the bus with this statement while still working to keep damaging information about Tinubu private,” it added.
The firm said the public should pay attention to the distinction between the existence of investigative records and what those records actually contain.
“The Trump DOJ will follow the law and obey the process, but through its actions and statements, it has made it clear that it will focus on U.S. interests but has no desire to support President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he was not part of a heroin-trafficking criminal organization,” it said.
The records are being sought as part of a FOIA lawsuit filed by Greenspan, who requested records from several US agencies relating to investigations into a Chicago heroin-trafficking operation dating to the early 1990s.
The litigation has continued for more than three years.
A little explanation: Unlike in #Nigeria, where President Bola Tinubu (@officialABAT) can seemingly order the arrest of an individual, in the United States, we have rules and processes that prevent President @realDonaldTrump from having such powers. The @FBI, as a federal agency,… pic.twitter.com/00SltZILEJ
— Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. (@batten_von) August 21, 2026
