Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has urged Nigerians to resist what he described as foreign interference in the country’s affairs amid renewed moves to release United States records relating to allegations involving President Bola Tinubu dating back more than three decades.
Buratai made the call in a position paper titled “Nigeria First: A Case for Protecting National Sovereignty and Dignity – A Patriotic and Non-Partisan Perspective,” which he shared on his verified Facebook page on Sunday.
His comments followed recent developments in a long-running Freedom of Information Act case in the United States concerning records held by American law-enforcement agencies in connection with investigations involving Tinubu in the early 1990s.
A US District Court for the District of Columbia, presided over by Judge Beryl Howell, has been handling the case brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought access to records from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other US agencies.
Recent reports indicate that the FBI was permitted to submit certain sensitive material to the court privately for review, while the FBI, DEA, US Department of Justice and Tinubu’s legal team were given until August 28, 2026, to file their opposition to the release of the records.
The records relate to investigations from the early 1990s, including a 1993 civil forfeiture case in Chicago involving approximately $460,000. Tinubu was not criminally charged in the case and has consistently maintained that the matter was resolved as a civil settlement.
Reacting to the development, Buratai argued that the controversy should not be allowed to damage Nigeria’s international reputation or undermine the country’s sovereignty.
“This is not merely about Bola Tinubu, it is about 250 million Nigerians whose national pride, economic prospects, and global standing hang in the balance,” he said.
The retired general maintained that the allegations, which date back about 33 years, should be considered within the context of the period in which the events allegedly occurred rather than being used to define Tinubu’s entire political career.
Buratai questioned whether a foreign court should determine the reputation or character of a sitting Nigerian president, arguing that Nigeria has its own democratic institutions and legal processes for addressing questions concerning its leaders.
“We did not elect an American court to vet our leaders. We did not ask the FBI to determine the character of our president,” he said.
He also warned that extensive international coverage of the allegations could have broader implications for Nigeria, including its reputation among investors and the country’s global standing.
Buratai called on political leaders across party lines to avoid turning the issue into a partisan dispute, urging them instead to place national interest above political affiliations.
He advocated diplomatic engagement with the United States, public education and stronger domestic institutions capable of addressing issues concerning the conduct and accountability of Nigerian leaders.
The former Army chief stressed, however, that defending Nigeria’s sovereignty should not be interpreted as an unconditional endorsement of Tinubu.
“This is not about defending Tinubu the individual; it is about defending Nigeria,” he said.
The development comes as the US court continues to consider whether additional records sought under the FOIA should be released. In April 2025, Judge Howell rejected the broad use of “Glomar” responses by US agencies, which had initially declined to confirm or deny the existence of some requested records, and ordered the processing of non-exempt material.
The latest court proceedings have therefore renewed public interest in the decades-old allegations, although the existence of investigative records or allegations does not by itself establish criminal wrongdoing, and Tinubu has not been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.
