A United States federal prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump has begun steps towards complying with a court order directing the release of records relating to past investigations involving President Bola Tinubu.
The records are held by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and relate to allegations surrounding Tinubu and suspected drug-trafficking activities.
According to Von Batten-Montague-York, a US-based policy advisory and lobbying firm retained by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, asked a federal court for an additional 10 days to comply with the order directing the release of the records.
The development is linked to a long-running Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking access to records concerning investigations involving Tinubu.
In a related development, Tinubu has formally joined the US Department of Justice in seeking additional time in the case. The lobbying firm said it obtained a copy of a filing submitted by the President two business days earlier.
US District Judge Beryl Howell subsequently rejected the full 10-day extension request and set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the government and Tinubu to respond.
The lawsuit was instituted by US transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records held by the FBI, DEA and other US agencies concerning past investigations involving Tinubu.
The records relate to allegations surrounding a 1990s civil forfeiture case linked to claims of heroin trafficking.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.
In earlier proceedings, Judge Howell ordered the FBI and DEA to process non-exempt records after rejecting the agencies’ responses that neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the records.
The agencies subsequently sought additional time, prompting criticism from the court over delays in the case.
The latest development means the US government and Tinubu face the August 21 deadline to respond to the court’s latest directive concerning the records.
