ABUJA — A United States federal court is expected to consider the next stage of a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case involving records held by American law-enforcement agencies concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday by Von Batten-Montague-York, a US-based advocacy and lobbying firm involved in the public campaign for disclosure of the records. The firm said the court-ordered deadline for final briefings in the case had expired, leaving the court to review the arguments submitted by the parties.
The case, filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, involves requests for records from agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu.
Court To Consider Parties’ Arguments
According to the advocacy firm, the parties have now completed the final briefing stage.
It said the court would proceed to review the arguments and deliberate on whether additional portions of the records should be released.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it expected the court to order the release of some of the material, while acknowledging that sensitive information could remain protected.
The firm argued that the court could release portions of the records while protecting information relating to confidential sources, investigative methods and other sensitive law-enforcement material.
Records Linked To Historical Investigation
The FOIA litigation concerns records associated with a US investigation into an alleged Chicago-based heroin-trafficking and money-laundering network in the early 1990s.
A US court ruled in 2025 that the FBI and DEA should search for and process non-exempt records responsive to specific FOIA requests. The proceedings have since involved disputes over which portions of the records can legally be disclosed.
An FBI declaration filed in August 2026 stated that the records were compiled during an investigation of multiple individuals for drug-trafficking crimes. However, the existence of an investigation or records concerning an individual does not, by itself, establish that the individual committed a crime.
The court proceedings are a FOIA records-disclosure dispute rather than a criminal prosecution of Tinubu.
Tinubu Opposes Some Disclosure
Tinubu has been involved in the proceedings through his legal team and has invoked privacy protections under US FOIA law.
The FBI has also relied on statutory exemptions covering issues including personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative techniques and other sensitive law-enforcement information.
The Presidency has previously stressed that the case should not be interpreted as a criminal trial or conviction against the Nigerian president. It said the dispute concerns the extent to which US law permits government records to be released or withheld.
Firm Predicts Partial Release
Von Batten-Montague-York said it believed the court would order the release of some of the disputed records.
The firm, however, acknowledged that certain information could remain confidential if the court determines that disclosure would expose sensitive law-enforcement methods or other protected information.
The advocacy group’s expectation is not a court ruling and should therefore be distinguished from the judge’s eventual decision.
The court has yet to announce the outcome of the latest stage of the proceedings.
Case Remains Politically Sensitive
The records dispute has attracted significant political attention in Nigeria as political parties and politicians prepare for the 2027 general elections.
The lobbying firm has publicly campaigned for greater disclosure of the records and has been retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Its claims and expectations about what the court may release remain positions advanced by the firm rather than findings by the US court.
For now, the key issue before the court is whether additional records held by US law-enforcement agencies can be released under FOIA, and which portions, if any, must remain protected under the law.
