Tinubu's Legal Team Seeks to Block FOIA Expansion Efforts

Ahead of the 2027 elections in Nigeria, lawyers representing President Bola Tinubu and the government filed a request in a federal court in Washington, D.C., to prevent transparency activist Greenspan from broadening his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. Greenspan, who operates PlainSite, filed the suit against various American federal agencies to obtain documents related to investigations involving Tinubu.

His requests include the FBI's complete file on Tinubu, FBI Form 302 interview records from 1992 to 1993, and materials concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in the U.S. involving approximately $460,000 linked to Tinubu. Tinubu's legal team, acting as intervenors, argued that Greenspan's actions were an attempt to transform a FOIA request into a broad investigation of private individuals.

They also opposed Greenspan's request for expedited discovery, asserting there was no urgent need for it. In a separate filing, the DEA sought summary judgment, claiming their searches for records were thorough and conducted in good faith.