Nigeria Presidency clarifies Tinubu is not facing US criminal trial

The Nigerian Presidency has issued a clarification regarding an ongoing legal matter in the United States, stating that President Bola Tinubu is not facing a criminal trial. The proceedings before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia are a civil records-disclosure dispute under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), not a criminal prosecution.

The litigation, identified as Civil Action No. 23-1816, was initiated in 2023 by Aaron Greenspan following FOIA requests made in 2022. The dispute centers on whether certain government records relating to Tinubu should be released or remain protected. During the proceedings, several agencies, including the CIA, Department of State, and the IRS, invoked the ‘Glomar defence’—a legal position allowing agencies to neither confirm nor deny the existence of records—resulting in summary judgment in their favor.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) remain involved in the case. They have produced 399 pages of records, though portions have been redacted to protect law enforcement techniques, personal privacy, and confidential sources. The Presidency also noted that a 2003 FBI records check had previously found no criminal arrest records or warrants for Tinubu when he was Governor of Lagos State.