American plaintiff Aaron Greenspan has asked a federal court in Washington, DC, for permission to formally question President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over a series of alleged cyberattacks that targeted his legal research website, PlainSite.
The request was filed on September 9, 2026, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia as part of Greenspan’s ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over the release of decades-old law enforcement records linked to Tinubu.
According to court filings, Greenspan is seeking the judge’s approval to send Tinubu six written interrogatories, four requests for admission and one request for documents. He is also asking the court to subpoena DCI Group AZ, L.L.C., a Washington-based public affairs firm registered as an agent of the Nigerian government.
Greenspan alleges that PlainSite has been subjected to repeated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks since April 2025, with some of the attacks occurring around significant court filings and deadlines in his FOIA case. He argues that the timing warrants limited discovery.
However, the court filing makes an important distinction: Greenspan does not accuse Tinubu, the Nigerian government or DCI Group of carrying out the cyberattacks, and no court has made such a finding. Instead, he says he is seeking information to determine whether any connection exists.
Greenspan stated that his technical analysis linked the attacks to a botnet known as Aisuru-Kimwolf, but acknowledged that identifying the botnet does not identify the individual or organisation responsible for launching the attacks.
The plaintiff also told the court that Tinubu’s lawyers opposed his request, arguing that the proposed questions were unrelated to the FOIA litigation and that discovery should not be used as a personal investigative tool. Greenspan further said the FBI and DEA did not respond to his request for similar discovery.
The case remains before Judge Beryl A. Howell, and as of the latest filing, no ruling has been made on whether Greenspan will be permitted to question Tinubu or obtain documents from DCI Group.
If granted, the discovery would require Tinubu to respond in writing rather than appear for an oral deposition. The request itself does not establish wrongdoing and remains subject to the court’s determination.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
