Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a U.S. federal court to block the release of records held by American law enforcement agencies concerning historical investigations involving him, according to court documents and his lawyers.
Tinubu’s legal team, comprising Christopher W. Carmichael, Victor P. Henderson and Oluwole O. Afolabi, argued that the records should remain withheld or redacted.
In a 16-page filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawyers opposed a request by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan to obtain records held by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Greenspan filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against several U.S. government agencies in 2023, seeking records related to historical investigations involving Tinubu.
Among the documents sought are the FBI’s entire file on Tinubu and FBI Form 302 interview records concerning the period between 1992 and 1993.
The case also concerns records linked to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in the U.S. involving about $460,000 associated with Tinubu.
Tinubu has denied wrongdoing.
In their latest filing, Tinubu’s lawyers argued that releasing the requested records could violate his privacy rights. They maintained that the disclosure of some information in an earlier forfeiture proceeding did not amount to public disclosure of the details or outcome of any alleged criminal investigation.
The lawyers urged the court to deny Greenspan’s motion for summary judgment and allow the FBI and DEA to maintain redactions or withhold the records.
The development is the latest in a long-running legal battle over Greenspan’s efforts to obtain U.S. government records concerning Tinubu.
Greenspan’s FOIA requests date to 2022 and 2023 and included records concerning a historical investigation dating to the late 1980s and early 1990s. In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA could no longer rely on so-called "Glomar” responses, under which agencies refuse to confirm or deny the existence of requested records.
Howell ordered the agencies to process nonexempt records responsive to Greenspan’s requests. The ruling, however, did not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offense or amount to a criminal conviction against him. Rather, it concerned the agencies’ obligations under FOIA and whether the requested records could lawfully be withheld.
Earlier this month, the FBI asked the court for permission to submit sensitive information privately and under seal to explain its decision to withhold portions of the requested records.
The agency said some of the information was protected under FOIA exemptions covering privacy, confidential sources, law enforcement techniques and information whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to endanger an individual’s life or physical safety.
Anadolu earlier reported that Tinubu had also joined a request by the U.S. Justice Department for additional time to respond to the court’s orders concerning the records. Judge Howell declined to grant the full extension sought by the government. Anadolu reported Aug. 19 that the court set a deadline for the government and Tinubu to respond.
The latest filing places Tinubu directly at the center of the dispute over whether additional records concerning the historical investigations should become public.
The court is expected to determine whether the FBI and DEA may retain their redactions and withholdings or whether further records sought by Greenspan must be released.