By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the FBI’s protection of investigative methods must not become a “bulletproof vest” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he lamented the agency’s refusal to make the president’s records public.
Atiku expressed strong dissatisfaction over the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s decision to withhold records relating to President Tinubu, arguing that citing “danger to lives” cannot justify keeping information from public scrutiny that could lawfully be disclosed.
His reaction follows an FBI application filed on August 20 before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking permission to submit an ex parte and in camera declaration—meaning the explanation would be presented privately to the judge and sealed from public record.
The agency argued that publicly disclosing the full reasons for withholding some records could expose sensitive investigative techniques and potentially endanger individuals.
However, in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku dismissed the FBI’s rationale, describing it as deeply ironic given Nigeria’s current realities.
“The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives. Which lives? Nigerians are already dying,” Atiku declared.
The former vice president linked the hardship directly to the removal of fuel subsidy under the Tinubu administration, arguing that the policy had triggered a chain reaction across transportation, food prices, production, and employment.
“Fuel affects transportation. Transportation affects food prices. Energy affects production. Production affects jobs. All of them determine whether an ordinary Nigerian family can survive until the end of the month,” Atiku said.
Atiku stressed that he was not demanding the exposure of undercover agents, confidential sources, or sensitive investigative techniques. Rather, he called on the FBI to release lawfully disclosable material while properly redacting sensitive portions.
“Protect your agents. Protect your sources. Protect legitimate investigative methods. Redact whatever American law genuinely requires you to redact. But do not stretch those protections until they become a bulletproof vest for Tinubu,” he said.
He described the request as a humanitarian and democratic appeal rather than an attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s internal affairs, arguing that Nigerians have a right to know the background and character of those exercising power over their lives.
“Our demand of American law enforcement is not a call to interfere in Nigeria’s politics. It is a humanitarian and democratic appeal rooted in the principle that people have a right to information legitimately available about those who exercise enormous power over their lives,” Atiku said.
The dispute stems from Freedom of Information Act requests filed by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, seeking FBI records connected to Tinubu and a Chicago-based heroin trafficking investigation from the early 1990s.
In April 2025, Judge Beryl Howell ruled against the FBI’s use of a “Glomar” response, ordering the agency to search for and process records.
The FBI has indicated it will submit its confidential declaration by August 28 if the court grants its request. Atiku has urged the court to deny the FBI’s bid for secrecy, insisting that transparency serves the public interest on both sides of the Atlantic.
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