Washington: Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approached a US court to prevent the release of records connected to an alleged drug trafficking investigation involving him, as disclosed by his legal representatives.
According to Ghana Web, Tinubu's legal team is urging the court to support the FBI and DEA's decision to withhold or redact the records requested under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). These records are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has filed a lawsuit against several US government agencies for documents related to investigations involving Tinubu.
The requested documents include the FBI's complete file on Tinubu and FBI Form 302 interview records from the period between 1992 and 1993. The case also pertains to records from a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in the US involving about $460,000 allegedly linked to Tinubu. President Tinubu has reportedly denied any wrongdoing in this matter.
In a 16-page court filing dated August 28, 2026, Tinubu's lawyers, Christopher W. Carmichael, Victor P. Henderson, and Oluwole O. Afolabi, argued that releasing the records would infringe upon his privacy. They contended that previous public disclosures related to the forfeiture case do not negate Tinubu's right to privacy over information contained in government investigative files.
The lawyers highlighted that Greenspan's primary objective is to obtain government documents merely because they mention Tinubu's name. They further argued that the FOIA request should not be exploited to access information that is safeguarded under US privacy laws. Tinubu's legal team has requested the court to deny Greenspan's request and allow the FBI and DEA to maintain the redactions or withholdings on the documents.
The filing concluded with a plea for the court to reject Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and permit the redactions or withholdings made by the FBI and DEA to remain intact.