Tinubu Seeks to Block Release of FBI and DEA Records

President Bola Tinubu has filed a request with the District Court for the District of Columbia to block the release of his unredacted records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). His legal team, consisting of Christopher Carmichael, Victor Henderson, and Oluwole Afolabi, presented four main arguments against the release.

They claimed that the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act protect private information, referencing Exemption 7(C) which safeguards personal details in law enforcement records. The lawyers contended that there is no significant public interest that would warrant the disclosure of Tinubu's records, dismissing claims that Nigerian curiosity about his background qualifies as such.

They accused activist Aaron Greenspan of seeking the records for political motives. The ongoing case stems from a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving $460,000 linked to narcotics trafficking, which opposition parties argue disqualifies Tinubu.

However, the Presidential Election Petition Court ruled in September 2023 that there was no evidence of arrest or conviction against him in the US.