Nigeria Denies Criminal Nature of Tinubu US Court Case

The Presidency of Nigeria has dismissed speculation that a legal case in the United States involving Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a criminal matter. The government clarified that the proceedings are a civil records-disclosure dispute under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), not a case establishing criminal liability.

The litigation, Civil Action No. 23-1816, began in 2023 after plaintiff Aaron Greenspan filed FOIA requests in 2022 seeking government records related to the Nigerian president. While the court removed several agencies, including the CIA and the Department of State, from the proceedings via summary judgment, claims involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration remain.

These two agencies produced 399 pages of records with redactions, which Greenspan has challenged. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, supported by the United States Department of Justice, argue the redactions are lawful under statutory exemptions protecting privacy and law-enforcement techniques. President Tinubu is participating in the case as an intervenor to assert his privacy rights.

Judge Beryl A. Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia will determine if the redactions are lawful. The court has set deadlines for filings on September 11 and September 18, 2026.