ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Presidency has issued a formal clarification regarding ongoing litigation before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, emphasizing that the matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and not a criminal prosecution against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In an official statement issued on Thursday, September 3, 2026, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, addressed speculative media interpretations stemming from U.S. law enforcement document filings, clarifying that no court has found President Tinubu guilty of criminal wrongdoing.
Core Points Clarified by the Presidency
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Civil FOIA Framework: The lawsuit (Civil Action No. 23-1816), filed in 2023 by transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, centers exclusively on statutory requests for U.S. government agencies to release archival administrative records under the FOIA.
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Dismissal of Other U.S. Agencies: Onanuga noted that the court previously granted summary judgments in favor of the CIA, State Department, Treasury Department, IRS, and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, dismissing them from the suit after evaluating statutory compliance.
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Exemption 7(C) & Privacy Protections: Remaining proceedings involve the FBI and DEA, which produced 399 pages of records with redactions. President Tinubu—who joined the suit as an intervenor—alongside U.S. agencies, asserted FOIA Exemption 7(C) to protect personal privacy against unwarranted disclosures.
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No Criminal Charges or Liability: The statement reiterated that the release or withholding of agency files under FOIA does not establish criminal liability, pointing out that historical civil forfeiture proceedings in 1993 did not result in an indictment, criminal charge, or conviction.
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Upcoming Court Deadlines: Judge Beryl A. Howell has set September 11, 2026, for the plaintiff to file any opposition, followed by responses from the FBI, DEA, and Tinubu’s legal team by September 18, 2026.
“For clarity, the matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the United States Freedom of Information Act. It is not a criminal case against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, nor has the court found him guilty of any criminal wrongdoing… The release or withholding of records under FOIA does not, by itself, establish criminal liability.”
— Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy
