President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States court to stop the release of his personal records held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), insisting that the documents fall under protected privacy rights.
In a motion filed on September 4, 2025, before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Tinubu, through his lead counsel, Wole Afolabi, urged the court to enforce exemptions under the U.S. Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemption 7(C).
The exemption shields law enforcement records from disclosure where such release would amount to an “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
The case stems from a series of FOIA requests filed by American activist Aaron Greenspan, founder of the transparency platform PlainSite.org, who is seeking access to Tinubu’s “entire FBI file” and DEA records, reportedly dating back to the early 1990s.
Tinubu’s lawyers told the court that Greenspan’s requests go beyond the purpose of FOIA, which is to shed light on government activities, not to “exploit an individual’s personal history for political battles in Nigeria.”
“The Nigerian public’s interest in an individual is not a basis for a FOIA request,” the filing stated, stressing that Tinubu was not a public official at the time of the alleged events.
The president’s legal team further argued that Greenspan’s efforts were motivated by profit, accusing him of seeking to drive online traffic to his website.
They cited past U.S. court precedents to reinforce their claim that government officials, including presidents, “do not surrender all rights to personal privacy.”
However, Greenspan countered on Monday, urging the court to dismiss Tinubu’s plea. He argued that the Nigerian leader has been “using his position to target opposition leaders and silence critics,” adding that the records could serve the public interest by providing transparency.
This latest legal tussle adds to the ongoing scrutiny of President Tinubu’s past in U.S. courts, where his personal and financial history has repeatedly come under focus, particularly during election seasons.
The court has yet to deliver a ruling on Tinubu’s motion.
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