Presidency says Tinubu’s US court case is not a criminal trial

The United States government has clarified that the legal proceedings involving President Bola Tinubu are not a criminal trial, but rather a civil dispute concerning access to government records under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This was confirmed by Bayo Onanuga, the President's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, on September 3, 2026, following recent public attention on court filings and FBI/DEA documents.

In August, it was reported that an FBI search conducted on Tinubu's requests yielded 399 pages of documents. The presidency emphasized that the ongoing litigation has been misrepresented as a criminal case against Tinubu. The matter originated in 2022 when Aaron Greenspan submitted FOIA requests to various US agencies for records related to Tinubu. Greenspan filed a lawsuit in 2023 after certain agencies either withheld or declined to confirm the existence of those records.

Tinubu was granted intervener status in the case, allowing him to participate as the litigation progressed. Several agencies were later removed from the proceedings, leaving only the FBI and DEA involved. The current dispute focuses on whether the FBI and DEA can legally retain certain redactions under FOIA exemptions.

In 2025, the Federal Government addressed concerns about a potential US District Court ruling that could lead to the release of additional records from a purported 1990s federal investigation involving Tinubu. APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesman Festus Keyamo stated that the issue pertained to tax liabilities rather than any criminal charges or convictions.

The recent FOIA case has reignited discussions about these historical controversies, but the presidency maintains that the current case before the US court is a dispute over record disclosure, not a criminal proceeding against Tinubu.