Politics
US judge gives FBI until August 28 to oppose release of Tinubu
WASHINGTON-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York has said that the United States federal judge gave the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and President Bola Tinubu until August 28, 2026, to oppose the release of records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving the Nigerian leader.
The firm disclosed this in a post on X on Friday, August 21, saying US District Judge Beryl Howell also granted the FBI permission to submit the documents to the court privately for review.
According to the lobbyist firm, Howell directed the parties to file their opposition to the release of the records by August 28, “and no later.”
The firm, hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said the judge’s decision followed the FBI’s request to provide the court with sensitive documents privately before any decision is made on their release.
The firm further claimed that the FBI’s request for a private review suggests the records go beyond Tinubu’s description of the matter as a civil forfeiture case.
It alleged that such confidential judicial reviews are typically used to protect sensitive law-enforcement information, including information relating to confidential informants.
The records sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan relate to US investigations involving Tinubu, including a 1990s civil forfeiture case connected to allegations surrounding heroin trafficking.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.
Greenspan filed multiple FOIA requests seeking records from the FBI, DEA and other US agencies concerning investigations involving Tinubu.
The agencies initially relied on so-called ‘Glomar’ responses, which an agency can refuse to confirm or deny whether responsive records exist in certain circumstances.
In April 2025, however, Howell rejected the agencies’ broad reliance on the responses and ordered the FBI and DEA to search for and process non-exempt records responsive to Greenspan’s requests.
The case has since involved several disputes over the pace and scope of the records’ release.
Earlier this month, Tinubu joined the US Justice Department in seeking a 10-day extension to respond to the court’s directive. Judge Howell rejected the full extension request and set August 21 as the deadline for the government and Tinubu to respond.
