Tinubu asks US court to block release of records sought in drug investigation case

President Bola Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to block the release of records relating to past investigations involving allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Tinubu, through his lawyers, is challenging efforts by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan to obtain the records from the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The case is before the US District Court for the District of Columbia in a long-running Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Greenspan in 2023. The suit seeks investigative records concerning Tinubu and other individuals. 

Greenspan’s requests include the FBI’s file on Tinubu, interview records from 1992 and 1993, and documents relating to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving about $460,000.

Court records show that the FOIA requests were made to several US agencies, including the FBI, DEA, CIA, Department of State, IRS and the Executive Office for US Attorneys. 

In a 16-page filing dated August 28, 2026, Tinubu’s legal team argued that releasing the requested records could violate the president’s privacy rights.

The lawyers argued that the fact that an individual may have been investigated is separate from the contents of investigative files and that previous public disclosures did not extinguish Tinubu’s privacy interest in the records.

“Regardless of the prior disclosure in the forfeiture proceeding, Intervenor retains a privacy interest in potential disclosure of the investigative files sought by Plaintiff,” the lawyers argued.

The legal challenge comes after US agencies previously declined to confirm or deny the existence of some of the requested investigative records, citing privacy protections. A 2025 ruling by Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia dealt with Greenspan’s challenge to the agencies’ responses concerning investigative documents involving Tinubu and another individual. 

The records sought by Greenspan relate to alleged investigations dating back to the early 1990s. Greenspan has argued that the records are of significant public interest because Tinubu is Nigeria’s president. 

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with the allegations.