Don’t hide Tinubu’s records from Nigerians – Atiku tells FBI

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has urged the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to protect its investigators, sources, and sensitive investigative methods without withholding records about President Bola Tinubu that can legally be made public.


Atiku made the call in a statement issued on Saturday, August 22, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, while reacting to the FBI’s request to file confidential explanations over its decision to withhold certain records relating to investigations involving Tinubu.


The FBI had approached a US District Court in the District of Columbia seeking permission to submit declarations ex parte and in camera, meaning the explanations would be presented privately to the court. In its August 20 application, the agency argued that it could not publicly disclose all the reasons for withholding some of the records because doing so could expose sensitive investigative techniques and potentially endanger lives.


However, Atiku rejected the argument, saying the FBI could safeguard sensitive information through appropriate redactions while still releasing documents that are legally available for public scrutiny. He cautioned the agency against using those protections to ‘shield” President Tinubu from lawful public scrutiny.

 

“The FBI says disclosure could endanger lives, but Nigerians are already suffering and dying as a result of the hardship caused by the Tinubu administration’s economic policies,” Atiku said.

“Which lives? Nigerians are already dying.” Atiku linked the widespread hardship directly to the removal of the fuel subsidy, explaining that the policy has severely affected transportation expenses, food costs, production, and employment across the country.

“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 added.

 

On the requested FBI records, Atiku stressed that his demand was not for the agency to compromise undercover officers, confidential informants, or investigative techniques, but rather to release information that American law permits to be disclosed.
 

“This is not an attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s politics. It is a humanitarian and democratic appeal because Nigerians have the right to access information that can legitimately be made public about those who exercise enormous power over their lives,” Atiku said.

 

He maintained that citizens deserve to know relevant information about the background and character of their leaders, urging the FBI to distinguish between details that genuinely require protection and public records that can be released without compromising ongoing operations.