President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a federal court in Washington, D.C., to prevent the further public release of records held by United States law-enforcement agencies concerning historical investigations involving him.
The development is part of a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records from the US Department of Justice, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Tinubu’s lawyers challenge release
In a recent court filing, Tinubu’s legal team argued that releasing additional records could infringe on his privacy rights under US law.
The lawyers are opposing efforts to make more of the previously withheld or redacted material available to the public.
The case does not represent a new criminal prosecution of the Nigerian president. Rather, it concerns access to historical US government records and whether information contained in those records should be disclosed under American freedom-of-information laws.
What is the background?
The records being sought relate to US investigations dating back to the early 1990s. The wider controversy has also been connected in reporting to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving approximately $460,000.
Importantly, civil forfeiture should not be described as a criminal conviction. Reports on the proceedings state that Tinubu was not criminally charged or convicted of drug trafficking in the United States in connection with that matter.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing.
FBI also seeks protection for some information
The FBI has separately asked the court to consider some of its arguments privately, saying disclosure of certain information could reveal sensitive investigative methods and potentially put individuals at risk.
That means the dispute is not simply between Tinubu and the person seeking the records. US government agencies are also asking the court to keep some information confidential.
What has the court previously decided?
In 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell rejected broad attempts by some agencies to refuse to confirm or deny whether they had records responsive to the FOIA requests.
The court subsequently directed the relevant agencies to search for and process records that were not legally exempt from disclosure. The process has since involved releases, redactions and further arguments over what should remain confidential.
What happens next?
The immediate issue before the court is whether additional records should be released, kept under seal or released with further redactions.
Until the judge makes further rulings, the contents of records that remain sealed or redacted should not be presented as established facts.
The case is therefore being closely watched because any additional documents ordered released could provide more information about the historical investigations.
Monafrika’s editorial note
Monafrika reports this matter strictly as a US court and public-records dispute. Claims of drug trafficking, criminal conduct or other wrongdoing should not be presented as established facts unless supported by a final court finding or reliable documentary evidence.
The current development is that Tinubu is asking a US federal court to prevent further disclosure of historical FBI and DEA records, while the FOIA litigation over access to those records continues.
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