Presidency: Tinubu’s U.S. FOIA Case Is Civil, Not Criminal

The Presidency has clarified that the ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a civil records-disclosure dispute, not a criminal case against the Nigerian President.

The clarification was issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following reports and public commentary suggesting that Tinubu was facing criminal proceedings in the United States.

Onanuga said the case arose from FOIA requests submitted by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan to U.S. government agencies seeking records relating to Tinubu. The requests subsequently led to Civil Action No. 23-1816 before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Presidency stressed that the court has not found Tinubu guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and that the proceedings do not constitute a criminal charge or trial against him.

Recent court records show that the litigation centres on whether U.S. agencies should release, withhold or redact records sought under the FOIA. Some of the requested documents relate to historical law-enforcement investigations, but the current proceedings concern access to those government records rather than prosecution of the President.