A United States federal prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump has reportedly initiated proceedings to comply with a court order directing the release of records held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on allegations linking Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu to drug trafficking.
According to a United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Von Batten-Montague-York, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has asked the federal court for an additional 10 days to comply with the order requiring the release of the documents.
However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell granted only a four-day extension, setting August 21 as the new deadline, the firm added.
Judge Howell was said to have noted that the case had already been pending for more than three years, signalling the court’s unwillingness to allow further delays in the release of the records.
The lobbying firm, which has been pushing for the release of the documents, welcomed the renewed action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DOJ.
The firm expressed appreciation to Pirro and the Justice Department for taking steps towards complying with the court’s directives, while arguing that the records should now be made public without further delay.
The records being sought are reportedly connected to allegations and investigations concerning Tinubu and alleged drug-trafficking activities.
Tinubu has previously denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations linking him to drug trafficking.
The latest development comes amid renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s past and his dealings with U.S. authorities, as well as continued calls for the release of government records relating to investigations involving the Nigerian president.
Those pushing for disclosure also referenced Trump’s previous comments about U.S.-Nigeria relations, arguing that Washington’s strategic interests with Nigeria should not prevent scrutiny of allegations against Nigerian officials.
“Shared interests with Nigeria do not mean supporting an alleged drug trafficker,” the campaigners said, insisting that the documents should be released once the court-ordered deadline expires.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, and Tinubu seeking re-election, the development will heighten political controversy in Nigeria, where Tinubu’s political opponents have repeatedly raised questions about his past and alleged links to drug-related investigations in the United States.
SaharaReporters had previously reported how President Tinubu’s $460,000 asset forfeiture was linked to a 1990s United States federal investigation into a Chicago-based heroin trafficking ring. The link stems directly from U.S. court documents and affidavits from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which detailed how funds in bank accounts controlled by Tinubu were tied to narcotics proceeds.
The U.S. government targeted a narcotics ring operated by Chicago-based drug kingpins Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele.
The network was actively involved in trafficking white heroin into the state of Illinois between 1988 and 1991.
IRS Special Agent Kevin Moss established that funds generated from this drug ring were systematically deposited into multiple U.S. bank accounts opened and controlled by Tinubu.
In January 1992, U.S. authorities obtained a court order to freeze accounts holding more than $1.4 million linked to Tinubu. The investigation revealed that the massive sums in these accounts did not align with Tinubu’s reported legitimate income at the time.
When investigators interviewed representatives from Mobil Oil Nigeria, where Tinubu worked as a treasurer, the company stated that under no circumstances would an employee be permitted to hold corporate funds in private accounts, nor did they own accounts in those specific Chicago suburbs.
To resolve the case, an out-of-court agreement was reached on September 15, 1993, before Judge John A. Nordberg. On October 4, 1993, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered that $460,000 held in account 263226700 at First Heritage Bank in the name of Bola Tinubu be forfeited to the U.S. government.
The court explicitly decreed that these specific funds represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in financial transactions violating money laundering laws under federal statutes 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6) and 18 U.S.C. § 981. The remaining funds, over $1 million, were released back to the family.
Tinubu’s legal team, political allies, and subsequent rulings by the Nigerian Presidential Election Petition Court have consistently maintained his innocence, noting that the case was an in rem civil forfeiture proceeding, meaning the lawsuit was filed against the money itself, not against Tinubu as an individual.
They also argued that Tinubu was never arrested, arraigned, indicted, or criminally convicted for a drug offence in the United States.
