A United States federal judge, Beryl Howell, has reportedly given US Attorney Jeanine Pirro four additional days to comply with an order concerning records linked to a past US investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
Dr. Karl Von Batten-Montague-York disclosed the development in a post on X, saying Howell set August 21, 2026, as the new deadline for the release of the records.
Pirro had reportedly sought an additional 10 days to comply with the order covering records held by the US Department of Justice, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to Von Batten, Howell granted only four additional days, noting that the case has been pending for more than three years.
The development relates to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by US transparency activist Aaron Greenspan. In April 2025, Howell ordered the FBI and DEA to search for and process non-exempt records connected to requests concerning an alleged 1990s drug investigation involving Tinubu and others.
The Nigerian Presidency had previously said the US court ruling did not constitute an indictment of Tinubu and that relevant reports had been in the public domain for decades.
Von Batten said the latest development showed renewed efforts by Pirro and the Justice Department to release the records.
“This case has been pending for three years. The time to release the Tinubu drug-trafficking files is now,” he said.
The records concern allegations linked to a 1990s investigation; they should not be described as proof that Tinubu was convicted of drug trafficking. Earlier reporting on the 2025 ruling also noted that the proceedings involved the release of investigative records rather than a criminal conviction against the Nigerian president.
Leave feedback about this