CLAIM: As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, social media platforms — particularly Facebook, X, and WhatsApp — have been awash with unverified claims.
Recently, several viral posts on social media claimed that:
- CLAIM 1: The FBI has filed a fresh drug trafficking case against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
- CLAIM 2: President Tinubu is on wiretap tapes.
- CLAIM 3: FBI agents could be assassinated if the files are made public.
- CLAIM 4: President Tinubu is linked to about $460,000 held in an account that was forfeited in a criminal conviction for drug trafficking in Chicago.
BACKGROUND
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the claims started trending after summaries of a court filing dated September 23, 2026, were posted by a U.S. advocacy firm — Von Batten-Montague-York — engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The filing referenced is from Case No. 1:23-cv-01816-BAH, Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
VERIFICATION
Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that there is no new criminal case.
The filing is not an indictment. It is a declaration filed in an existing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit instituted by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who requested historical records from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
A check of the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system showed no new criminal docket against President Tinubu. The only active case relating to the request is the FOIA suit, Greenspan v. EOUSA.
The FBI cited FOIA Exemption 7(F), which permits withholding of law-enforcement records where disclosure could reasonably be expected to endanger an individual’s life or physical safety. The bureau said release could expose people who participated in or assisted the investigation to retaliation.
The FBI noted that the multi-subject file contains electronic surveillance material gathered during the investigation. However, it did not publicly name President Tinubu as being on any specific tape.
A check by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that in 1993, about $460,000 held in an account linked to Tinubu was forfeited in a civil case in the Northern District of Illinois linked to a Chicago heroin investigation. It was a civil forfeiture, not a criminal conviction for drug trafficking as claimed by multiple people.
VERDICT:
The claim that the FBI or any person or group has filed a new drug trafficking case against Tinubu is FALSE.
The claim that “FBI agents could be assassinated as reported” is MISLEADING.
The claim that “Tinubu is on wiretap tapes” is MISLEADING.
The claim that about $460,000 linked to Tinubu in a Chicago heroin investigation was forfeited in a criminal conviction for drug trafficking is FALSE.
