President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to stop the release of records held by American law-enforcement agencies relating to historical investigations allegedly involving him.
Tinubu, through his legal team, is opposing a request by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan for access to records held by the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The development is part of a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Greenspan against several US government agencies.
In a 16-page court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf, his lawyers—Christopher W. Carmichael, Victor P. Henderson and Oluwole O. Afolabi—asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reject Greenspan’s motion seeking further disclosure of the records.
The legal team argued that releasing the documents could violate Tinubu’s privacy rights, maintaining that the fact that some information about him may have appeared in public records does not mean the government should release the contents of confidential investigative files.
According to the lawyers, previous disclosures linked to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding did not reveal the details or outcome of any possible criminal investigation involving the President.
They argued that Tinubu retained a privacy interest in information contained in investigative files even where portions of related information had previously entered the public domain.
Greenspan’s FOIA requests include what he describes as the FBI’s entire file on Tinubu, as well as FBI Form 302 interview records relating to the period between 1992 and 1993. The requests also concern records connected to a 1993 US civil forfeiture proceeding involving approximately $460,000.
The case originated from FOIA requests Greenspan made to several US federal agencies concerning investigations into a Chicago-based heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s. Tinubu was among individuals named in the requests.
In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA could not simply refuse to confirm or deny whether they possessed records relating to Tinubu. The agencies were subsequently directed to search for and process records responsive to the requests, resulting in the release of documents with some redactions and withholdings.
Tinubu has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with or convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.
The latest filing does not establish that Tinubu committed drug trafficking or any other crime. Rather, it represents his legal challenge to the disclosure of government records sought through the FOIA litigation.
His lawyers are asking the court to deny Greenspan’s motion for summary judgment and allow the FBI and DEA to retain the redactions or withholdings applied to the records.
