FBI Reveals Search Of Bola Tinubu Multi-Subject File Linked To Nigerian President

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has disclosed that it conducted a manual, page-by-page review of a multi-subject file containing records linked to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as part of ongoing litigation regarding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

In a recent court filing dated September 23, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, representing the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), detailed the methodology used to address concerns raised by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan. The filing clarifies that the agency performed separate searches for the terms “Bola” and “Tinubu” and conducted a manual review of the resulting documents to ensure compliance and address previous complaints regarding potential misspellings or incomplete search parameters.

The legal battle, which has spanned much of 2026, involves efforts by Greenspan to compel the disclosure of law enforcement records concerning the Nigerian leader. The government has maintained that while some documents have been produced—totaling 399 pages—other portions remain withheld under various FOIA exemptions, including those protecting grand-jury materials, confidential sources, investigative techniques, and personal privacy.

The filing says the FBI searched for “Bola” and “Tinubu” separately and manually reviewed pages in a multi-subject file. It argues that a page-by-page review addressed Greenspan’s complaints about the search terms and possible misspellings.

President Tinubu has actively intervened in the proceedings, asserting his privacy interests in the records. The ongoing case involves several interconnected matters, including a criminal prosecution of members of an alleged network, a case involving Nigerian businessman Abiodun Agbele, and civil forfeiture proceedings related to funds previously held in an account under the name of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.