A US federal judge has rejected President Bola Tinubu's attempt to join a motion seeking extra time to respond to a court order compelling the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release records tied to allegations of drug trafficking against him. Tinubu's lawyer, Christopher Carmichael, filed a notice of joinder at the US District Court, aligning the Nigerian president with the Department of Justice's request for a 10-day extension. The move was quickly denied by Judge Beryl Howell, who had already noted the case had been running for more than three years.
Background of the Drug Investigation Records Case
The matter traces back to 2022 and 2023, when Aaron Greenspan, an American and founder of PlainSite, filed 12 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with six US federal agencies. Greenspan sought records from a criminal investigation into a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s, naming Tinubu, Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele as individuals of interest. Five agencies issued Glomar responses, refusing to confirm or deny whether any records existed. Greenspan challenged these responses in court on June 12, 2023. In April 2025, Judge Howell ruled that the Glomar responses from the FBI and DEA were "improper and must be lifted," finding that the agencies had failed to justify keeping secret whether Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation.
Lobbying Firm’s Allegations and Court Proceedings
Von Batten-Montague-York L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm recently engaged by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, published the notice of joinder and shared updates on the proceedings via its social media accounts. The notice read: "Intervenor joins Defendants' motion for a 10-day extension of time to file response to the motion for summary judgment (DE 92), in as much as Intervenor requests that the responses remain on the same schedule. Plaintiff opposes this request, and Defendant does not." Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that Tinubu's push for more time was driven by a desire to mobilise allies in Washington to argue that releasing the files would damage US-Nigeria relations. "We surmise that President #Tinubu wants to use any delay to call upon his friends in DC to argue that the release of these files would harm U.S.-Nigeria relations and undermine his ability to work with the United States to combat terrorism and the killing of Christians in Northern Nigeria," the firm stated. The lobbying group also warned that any US government personnel who interfere with the judicial or FOIA process on Tinubu's behalf "should be exposed and fired."
Judge Grants Only Four Days Instead of Ten
Before Tinubu's joinder was filed, the lobbying group had reported that US attorney Jeanine Pirro initiated action to comply with the court order directing the FBI and DEA to release their investigative records. Pirro sought a 10-day extension, but Judge Howell granted only four additional days, setting a deadline of August 21. In 1993, Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to the US government over allegations linked to drug dealing. The forfeiture was a central issue during litigation following the 2023 Nigerian presidential election, though the Presidential Election Petition Court held that Tinubu had not been convicted of any criminal offence and that the proceedings were civil in nature.
Atiku’s Lobbying Efforts and Document Distribution
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Washington lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York began distributing over 60 pages of DOJ documents on Tinubu to Trump officials and Congress. The firm was hired by Atiku Abubakar in March 2025 under a 12-month, $1.2 million contract to counter the Nigerian government's lobbying efforts in the US. The documents centre on a 1993 civil forfeiture case tied to a heroin trafficking investigation in which Tinubu's name appeared in federal court records. As reported by TheCable, the judge's swift response and the denial of Tinubu's joinder mark a significant development in the case, which has been ongoing for over three years.
