Tinubu asks US court to block release of FBI, DEA records

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to prevent the release of records held by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) relating to historical investigations involving him.

The request was contained in a filing submitted on Friday, August 28, 2026, in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Greenspan has been seeking records concerning investigations dating to the early 1990s, including FBI files relating to Tinubu and interview records covering the 1992–1993 period. The case also involves records connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving about $460,000.

Tinubu, through his legal representatives, argued that releasing investigative files containing his personal information would violate his privacy rights.

His lawyers maintained that the fact that some information relating to the matter has previously appeared in public records does not eliminate Tinubu’s privacy interest in the remaining investigative files.

The filing asked the court to allow existing redactions and withholdings by the FBI and DEA to remain in place.

Reports on the latest filing have also highlighted an argument attributed to Tinubu’s legal team that the records are being sought in connection with efforts to influence politics in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

However, this is an argument presented in the litigation and should not be interpreted as a judicial determination that the records are being sought for that purpose.

The dispute is part of a wider FOIA case that has been ongoing for several years. Greenspan submitted multiple FOIA requests seeking records from U.S. agencies concerning historical investigations involving Tinubu and other individuals.

In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and DEA had to search for and process non-exempt records responsive to the requests after finding that the agencies had not adequately justified their earlier refusal to confirm or deny the existence of certain records.

The latest development follows a separate request by the FBI to provide the court privately with additional explanations for withholding some of the records.

The agency sought permission to submit an ex parte, in camera declaration, meaning sensitive information would be presented privately to the judge rather than placed in the public court file. The FBI has cited concerns involving law-enforcement methods, confidential sources and other protected information.

The court subsequently allowed the government agencies and Tinubu’s legal team to make their submissions by August 28.

The case concerns access to government records under the U.S. FOIA law and does not constitute a criminal prosecution or conviction of Tinubu.

Court records describe the underlying requests as relating to an alleged international drug-trafficking and money-laundering investigation from the early 1990s. Tinubu has denied wrongdoing.

The 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving approximately $460,000 is also part of the historical background to the FOIA requests. The existence of the litigation or the records sought does not, by itself, establish that Tinubu committed a criminal offence.

The immediate question before the court is whether the requested records, or portions of them, can be released under FOIA or must remain protected under privacy, law-enforcement and other exemptions.

The court’s eventual decision will determine whether additional records are made public or whether the FBI and DEA’s existing redactions and withholdings are allowed to stand.