Privacy rights at center of Tinubu’s FBI, DEA records fight

President Bola Tinubu has invoked privacy protections under the US Freedom of Information Act to oppose the release of FBI and DEA records concerning him, as a long-running records dispute enters a new phase before a Washington court.

According to The ICIR, Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga said in a Thursday statement that the case stems from a 2022 FOIA request by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, which led to a 2023 lawsuit after agencies withheld records.

The FBI and DEA have since released 399 pages, though redactions remain contested, with Tinubu relying on Exemption 7(C) to shield personal information from disclosure. Greenspan has until September 11 to respond, while the FBI, DEA and Tinubu face a September 18 deadline.

The Presidency maintains the dispute is strictly civil, insisting it carries no criminal implication for the president.