President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to reject a request seeking the release of records held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concerning him, arguing that disclosure would violate his privacy rights.
Gatekeepers News reports that the request was contained in a 16-page filing submitted by Tinubu’s legal team before the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The filing is part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by Aaron Greenspan, an American transparency activist, against several US government agencies.
Greenspan is seeking records relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu, including documents from the FBI and DEA. His case, filed in 2023, has sought access to records connected to investigations from the 1990s.
Tinubu’s lawyers argued that the requested materials should remain withheld or redacted because US privacy laws protect personal information contained in law-enforcement records. They urged the court to uphold exemptions under the US Privacy Act and FOIA, particularly provisions protecting individuals from unwarranted invasions of privacy.
The president’s legal team also argued that the FOIA process should not be used to obtain private records about an individual where disclosure would not reveal misconduct by a US government agency.
The case centres partly on investigations dating to 1992 and 1993. The FBI has previously said releasing some of the requested material could expose law-enforcement techniques and potentially endanger individuals. The agency invoked several FOIA exemptions, including provisions covering personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative methods and physical safety.
The dispute follows an earlier ruling in which US District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the FBI and DEA’s attempt to neither confirm nor deny the existence of certain records relating to Tinubu. The court had directed the agencies to review and release records that were not exempt from disclosure.
The requested records have attracted renewed attention in Nigeria amid political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election, particularly as Tinubu faces opposition from politicians including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu has consistently maintained that allegations surrounding the old US investigation do not establish criminal wrongdoing against him. The latest court filing is, however, a request to prevent the public release of records, rather than a criminal proceeding against the Nigerian president.
