The Nigerian president says releasing investigative files could violate his privacy as an American activist seeks documents from the FBI and DEA.
President Bola Tinubu has asked a US federal court to prevent the Department of Justice, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from releasing records linked to past allegations of drug trafficking.
The records are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking documents relating to US investigations involving Tinubu.
Greenspan is requesting the FBI’s complete file on President Tinubu, including interview records from 1992 and 1993, as well as documents connected to a 1993 US civil forfeiture proceeding involving about $460,000 linked to the Nigerian president.
President Tinubu, who has denied any wrongdoing, argued through his legal team that releasing the investigative records could infringe on his privacy.
His lawyers maintained that previous public disclosures relating to the forfeiture case did not eliminate Tinubu’s privacy rights over the contents of government investigative files.
They cited US court precedents which recognise an individual’s privacy interest in the details of government investigations, even where some information from the same records has previously become public.
President Tinubu’s legal team urged the court to reject Greenspan’s motion for summary judgment and allow the FBI and DEA to maintain their redactions and withholding of the records under applicable privacy protections.
The case remains before the US federal court.
Copies Of Court Documents Below:
