The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that its informants and agents could be targeted or assassinated if records relating to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking activities are made public.

The warning was contained in a court filing responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit before Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, DC.

The case followed FOIA requests by American transparency activist and lead plaintiff Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records concerning Tinubu’s alleged heroin activities in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.

Greenspan also requested Tinubu-related records from several US federal agencies, including the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and immigration authorities.

The FBI said releasing some of the information could expose people who participated in or assisted investigations to retaliation from third parties allegedly connected to the criminal activities covered by the records.

The bureau cited FOIA Exemption 7(F), alongside other privacy exemptions, and said releasing the names or identifying information of certain individuals could endanger their lives or physical safety.

It added that some people mentioned in the records could view the information as derogatory or incriminating, while those who provided information or participated in investigations could face violent targeting if their identities were disclosed.

The filing came after Judge Howell ordered the FBI to explain why the Tinubu-related records should remain withheld and allowed the agency to submit its explanation and relevant records privately for the court’s review.

The FBI and other US agencies have previously faced criticism over delays in releasing the records, including documents linked to a 1993 civil forfeiture case in which $460,000 associated with Tinubu was forfeited to the US government.