The FBI has confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was investigated for alleged drug trafficking in the early 1990s.

The confirmation came from a sworn declaration filed on August 28, 2026, in the US District Court. The filing was part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case opened by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking access to Tinubu’s FBI records. Those records are linked to a Chicago heroin trafficking operation.

Earlier, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled against the FBI’s use of “Glomar” responses—a tactic agencies use to neither confirm nor deny whether certain records exist. The ruling required the FBI to process the requested records unless legally exempt.

While the FBI acknowledged the investigation, it did not find that Tinubu was convicted of any crime. Parts of the records remain withheld due to privacy and safety exemptions.