US Court Orders Release of Tinubu Drug Records by 2026

A United States federal judge, Beryl Howell, has mandated the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to release records concerning allegations against President Bola Tinubu, setting a new deadline of August 21, 2026. This decision follows a request from US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, for a 10-day extension, which Howell reduced to four days.

The records pertain to past investigations by the DOJ, FBI, and DEA regarding drug trafficking and financial activities linked to Tinubu. Although documents are being sought, it does not imply that Tinubu has committed any drug-trafficking offenses, as he has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has never been criminally convicted in the US.

The case has been pending for over three years, and Von Batten-Montague-York, a policy advisory firm hired by Atiku Abubakar, welcomed the judge's decision, emphasizing the need for transparency. The controversy stems from a civil forfeiture proceeding in which $460,000 linked to Tinubu was forfeited, with his legal team asserting that it was not a criminal prosecution against him.