Nigerians are reacting angrily to the latest development in the legal battle over US records linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, questioning why the FBI says releasing some of the files could endanger lives while Nigerians continue to die from insecurity across the country.
The FBI has asked a US federal court to allow it to explain privately why some records connected to a historical investigation involving Tinubu should remain undisclosed. The agency says releasing the information could endanger the lives or physical safety of individuals and could reveal investigative techniques. A judge has allowed the FBI to submit its explanation privately for the court to review.
The development has triggered a simple but emotional question among Nigerians: if the FBI is so concerned about protecting someone’s life, why is there not the same level of urgency over the thousands of Nigerians who have been killed or displaced by insecurity during Tinubu’s presidency?
Nigeria continues to face serious security challenges involving terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and communal violence. Reuters reported this week that more than 10,000 people have been killed by armed groups since Tinubu took office, while mass kidnappings remain a major concern.
A recent attack in Plateau State also left at least 25 people dead, according to local officials and residents.
The criticism has become even sharper because the FBI’s argument comes at a time when Nigerians are demanding full transparency over the records.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also challenged the FBI’s position, arguing that citing danger to lives should not automatically prevent the public from seeing records that may be subject to disclosure. He said ordinary Nigerians are already paying with their lives amid the country’s economic and security problems.
The records at the centre of the dispute date back to the 1990s and are being sought through a Freedom of Information Act case in the United States.
Tinubu has joined the US government’s request for additional time to respond to the court order concerning the records. His lawyers sought to align his response with that of the US government.
A US judge has now given the FBI, the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Tinubu until August 28 to oppose the release of the records, according to reporting on the latest court proceedings.
The development has fuelled suspicion among Nigeria, many of whom are asking why the FBI appears more concerned about protecting people connected to the old investigation than about the Nigerians who have lost their lives to violence.
Social media users have also compared the situation with the US government’s treatment of other foreign leaders and drug suspects, particularly Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Nigeria are asking why Washington would take aggressive action against a foreign leader accused of drug related offences while fighting in court over the release of historical records involving Tinubu.
The comparison, however, does not prove that the FBI or Donald Trump is personally protecting Tinubu. The FBI says its objection is based on legal protections involving sensitive information, investigative techniques and potential risks to individuals.
There is also no established finding that Tinubu committed a drug trafficking offence in the United States. The records concern a historical investigation and allegations that Tinubu has denied.
But for many Nigerians, the issue is now about more than the allegations themselves.
They want to see the documents.
They want to know why the FBI believes releasing them could endanger lives.
And they want to know whether the information contains anything that could materially change the public’s understanding of Tinubu’s past.
The anger is also being driven by the country’s continuing security crisis. Human Rights Watch has documented repeated deadly attacks in Nigeria, while recent reports continue to show that communities across the country remain vulnerable to armed groups.
Critics therefore say the FBI’s argument sounds particularly troubling to Nigerians who believe their government has failed to adequately protect citizens from violence.
The central issue remains unresolved.
The FBI says some information should remain protected.
Transparency campaigners and Tinubu’s critics want the records released.
The US court will ultimately decide what can legally be disclosed.
For now, the question spreading across Nigerian social media is blunt: If the FBI is worried about protecting Tinubu’s life, who is protecting the lives of the thousands of Nigerians dying from insecurity?
That question is likely to remain at the centre of the controversy as the August 28 deadline approaches.
