The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has warned that its informants and agents could be targeted and assassinated if it makes the alleged drug trafficking record of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu public.
The FBI issued the warning in a court filing while responding to a Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, lawsuit before Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, DC
The case followed FOIA requests filed by American transparency activist and lead plaintiff Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records relating to Tinubu’s alleged drug activities in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.
It will be recalled that Greenspan had also requested records relating to Tinubu from several US federal agencies, including the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and immigration authorities.
The FBI stated that disclosure of some of the information could expose individuals who participated in or assisted investigations to retaliation from third parties allegedly connected to criminal activities covered by the records.
According to the bureau, it relied on FOIA Exemption 7(F), alongside other privacy exemptions.
It further revealed that releasing the names or identifying information of certain individuals could endanger their lives or physical safety.
The bureau equally stressed that some people mentioned in the investigative records could regard the information as derogatory or incriminating, adding that individuals who provided information or participated in the investigation could potentially face violent targeting if their identities were disclosed.
The filing came after Judge Howell ordered the FBI to explain why records relating to the Tinubu investigation should remain withheld and permitted the agency to submit its explanation and relevant records privately for the court’s review.
The FBI and other US agencies have previously faced criticism over delays in releasing the records, including documents connected to the 1993 civil forfeiture case in which $460,000 associated with Tinubu was forfeited to the US government.
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