President Bola Tinubu has asked a United States federal court to prevent the release of unredacted records concerning him held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In a legal filing before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Tinubu’s lawyers presented four main arguments for keeping the records from public disclosure. They maintained that the documents are protected by US privacy laws, that their release does not serve a recognised public interest and that the request is driven by political motives.

The case was brought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking access to records relating to Tinubu under the US Freedom of Information Act.

Tinubu’s legal team argued that the FOIA is intended primarily to provide information about government activities, rather than expose private information about individuals contained in government files.

The lawyers also cited privacy protections under the FOIA and the US Privacy Act, particularly provisions covering personal information contained in law-enforcement records.

They further challenged Greenspan’s argument that Nigerians have a right to know about Tinubu’s background because he is the country’s president. According to the lawyers, such an argument does not amount to the type of public interest recognised under US disclosure laws.

Another argument put forward by the President’s lawyers was that Greenspan’s request was politically motivated. They said his court filings showed a particular interest in obtaining documents containing Tinubu’s name.

The legal team also rejected suggestions that the requested records could expose a secret prosecution or an agreement by US authorities not to prosecute Tinubu, describing such claims as unsupported allegations.

The records being sought include the FBI’s entire file on Tinubu and interview records known as FBI Form 302 covering the period between 1992 and 1993.

The dispute is connected to a long-running controversy over Tinubu’s history with US law-enforcement agencies. The issue became prominent during the 2023 presidential election after details emerged of a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving about $460,000 in an account linked to him.

US authorities had alleged that the funds were connected to narcotics trafficking or prohibited financial transactions. Tinubu has denied wrongdoing, while his political party had argued that the forfeiture proceeding was civil and did not amount to a criminal conviction.

The Presidential Election Petition Court, in 2023, ruled that the petitioners had not established that Tinubu had been arrested, arraigned, convicted or sentenced in a criminal case in the US.

The current FOIA case has continued despite previous court orders concerning the processing of the records. In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell directed the FBI and DEA to process records responsive to Greenspan’s requests, subject to applicable exemptions.

The FBI has since argued that some information should remain withheld, citing concerns involving law-enforcement methods, privacy and the safety of individuals.

Tinubu’s lawyers have therefore asked the court to reject Greenspan’s request for further disclosure and allow the agencies to maintain their redactions and withholdings.

Meanwhile, opposition groups in Nigeria have criticised the President’s position and called for the records to be released.

The African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress argued that Nigerians deserve greater clarity about Tinubu’s past and urged him to support the disclosure of the records.

The ongoing court proceedings concern access to US government documents. They do not, by themselves, amount to a criminal prosecution or constitute a finding that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence.