Tinubu Asks US Court to Block Release of Records Linked to Alleged Drug Investigation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has filed a legal challenge before a United States federal court seeking to prevent the release of records held by American law-enforcement agencies relating to a decades-old investigation into alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.

Tinubu’s legal team filed a 16-page submission asking the U.S. District Court to reject a request seeking access to records held by agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The records are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking documents connected to the historical investigation involving Tinubu.

The dispute centres on events dating back to the early 1990s, when U.S. authorities investigated financial transactions and alleged links to narcotics trafficking. Tinubu has previously denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations.

The latest court action comes after the FBI and DEA resisted the release of portions of the records, arguing that disclosure could expose sensitive investigative information and potentially put people at risk.

The FBI has separately told the court that releasing some of the withheld information could endanger the lives of agents and informants and reveal law-enforcement methods. The agency has asked for permission to present parts of its evidence to the judge privately.

The president’s latest filing follows a series of developments in the U.S. court battle over the records.

Earlier this month, Tinubu joined the U.S. Justice Department in requesting additional time to respond to the court’s order concerning disclosure of the documents.

The court subsequently allowed the FBI to review certain Tinubu-related files privately as it argues why some of the records should remain confidential.

The legal dispute has attracted renewed attention in Nigeria because of the political sensitivity surrounding the allegations and their potential implications as the country moves toward the 2027 general elections.

The controversy dates to a U.S. investigation from the 1990s involving suspected narcotics proceeds and financial transactions. Previously released court records have shown that Tinubu forfeited about $460,000 to U.S. authorities in 1993 in connection with a civil forfeiture proceeding.

However, the current dispute is specifically about whether additional FBI, DEA and other government records should be made public. The existence of an investigation or forfeiture proceeding should not be presented as proof that Tinubu was convicted of drug trafficking.

That distinction is particularly important as the latest court proceedings unfold.

The U.S. court is now considering arguments from Tinubu, the U.S. government and the parties seeking disclosure before determining what information, if any, should be released publicly.

For now, the case remains a records-disclosure dispute, rather than a new criminal prosecution against the Nigerian president.