President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to prevent the release of records held by American law enforcement agencies concerning historical investigations involving him.
Tinubu’s lawyers, Christopher W. Carmichael, Victor P. Henderson and Oluwole O. Afolabi, filed a 16-page submission before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, urging the court to reject a request for further disclosure of the records.
The legal action followed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan against several US government agencies.
Greenspan has been seeking records from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) relating to investigations involving Tinubu dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Among the materials requested are the FBI’s complete file on Tinubu and Form 302 interview records relating to events between 1992 and 1993.
The dispute also involves documents connected to a 1993 US civil forfeiture case involving approximately $460,000 associated with Tinubu.
Tinubu has denied any wrongdoing.
In the latest filing, his lawyers argued that releasing the requested documents could infringe on the president’s privacy rights.
They maintained that the fact that certain information from the earlier forfeiture proceedings had become public did not mean that details or outcomes of any separate alleged criminal investigation had also been publicly disclosed.
Tinubu’s legal team therefore asked the court to deny Greenspan’s motion for summary judgment and permit the FBI and DEA to retain existing redactions or withhold portions of the records.
The case is part of a legal battle that has been ongoing since Greenspan submitted FOIA requests in 2022 and 2023 for records concerning historical investigations involving the Nigerian president.
In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA could no longer use so-called “Glomar” responses to refuse to confirm or deny whether responsive records existed.
Howell subsequently directed the agencies to process records responsive to Greenspan’s requests, subject to applicable FOIA exemptions.
The ruling did not, however, establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence or constitute a criminal conviction against him. The decision dealt specifically with the agencies’ obligations under FOIA and whether the requested materials could legally be withheld.
Earlier this month, the FBI asked the court for permission to provide sensitive information privately and under seal in support of its decision to withhold parts of the records.
The agency cited FOIA exemptions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement methods and information whose disclosure could reasonably put an individual’s life or physical safety at risk.
Tinubu had previously joined the US Justice Department in requesting additional time to respond to the court’s orders concerning the records. Judge Howell declined to grant the government the full extension it had requested.
The latest filing brings Tinubu directly into the dispute over whether additional records concerning the historical investigations should be made public.
The court will ultimately determine whether the FBI and DEA can continue to withhold or redact the records or whether additional documents sought by Greenspan must be released.
