Forgotten Dairies
Tinubu’s U.S Files: Nigerians Deserve The Truth -By Yasir Shehu Adam
The American court has not convicted Tinubu of anything through this FOIA case. The 1993 forfeiture case was not a criminal conviction. And the release of investigative records would not automatically prove wrongdoing.
As Nigeria moves towards 2027, an old question about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s past in the United States has returned.
But this time, Nigerians are not dealing only with social-media rumours.
There are court records, a 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture case, and a continuing legal battle over records held by American government agencies.
In 1993, the United States pursued a civil forfeiture case involving money held in an account in Tinubu’s name. $460,000 was eventually forfeited in a case involving U.S. allegations concerning narcotics proceeds and money laundering.
That is a documented legal matter.
But there is an equally important fact: Tinubu was not criminally convicted of drug trafficking in that case. A civil forfeiture is not the same as a criminal conviction.
So Nigerians should reject both extremes: calling him a convicted drug trafficker without evidence, and pretending that the U.S. court case never happened.
The bigger question now is what remains inside the FBI and DEA files.
American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan sought access to records relating to the investigation. In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA could not simply rely on a refusal to confirm or deny responsive records in the circumstances of the case. The agencies were directed to search for and process relevant records, subject to lawful exemptions.
Then came another development.
On August 19, 2026, Judge Howell rejected a request for a ten-day extension and granted only four additional days for compliance.
That means Nigerians now have a simple question:
What will the files actually reveal?
Nobody should answer that question before seeing the evidence.
There is also a political battle around the records. A Washington lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been circulating material relating to the case in the United States.
That does not prove the allegations are true.
But neither does the political origin of the material make the underlying court records false.
Documents must be judged by evidence, not by who presents them.
President Tinubu deserves the same legal protection as every citizen: no one should be declared guilty without evidence and due process.
But Nigerians also deserve transparency from those who occupy public office.
If the FBI and DEA records can legally be released, let them be released.
Let journalists examine them. Let lawyers examine them. Let independent researchers examine them. Let Nigerians examine them.
If the records contain nothing new, let the public know.
If they clarify and resolve the old allegations, let the evidence speak.
And if they raise serious new questions, those questions should be investigated properly.
This should not be an APC versus Atiku argument.
It should not be about tribe, religion or political loyalty.
It should be about one principle:
Public office requires public accountability.
The American court has not convicted Tinubu of anything through this FOIA case. The 1993 forfeiture case was not a criminal conviction. And the release of investigative records would not automatically prove wrongdoing.
But neither should Nigerians be afraid of seeing the records.
As 2027 approaches, the country deserves facts, not propaganda.
Let the files come. Let the evidence speak. And let Nigerians decide what the truth means.
Yasir Shehu Adam (Dan Liman)
Journalist and Writer, Bauchi State
