BREAKING: US Judge Goes Tough, Orders Release Of Tinubu Drug Files By This Friday
US District Judge Beryl Howell has rejected the request for an extension of deadline and given the President Donald Trump-appointed US Attorney Jeanine Pirro until August 21 to disclose DOJ, FBI, and DEA files on 1990s heroin-trafficking claims against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The order follows a three-year Freedom of Information Act battle over a 1993 civil forfeiture of $460,000 from bank accounts linked to a Chicago heroin ring.
Tinubu settled without admitting guilt and denies involvement.
Nigerian courts have dismissed related challenges for lack of proof.
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 US Attorney for the District of Columbia, had asked the federal court for an additional 10 days to comply with the order requiring the release of the documents.
But US 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 United States federal prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump reportedly initiated proceedings to comply with a court order directing the release of records held by the US 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.
The lobbying firm, which has been pushing for the release of the documents, welcomed the renewed action by the US 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 US 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 US-Nigeria relations, arguing that Washington’s strategic interests with Nigeria should not prevent scrutiny of allegations against Nigerian officials.
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 US 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 US 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 US bank accounts opened and controlled by Tinubu.
In January 1992, US 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 US 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 US 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 USC. § 881(a)(6) and 18 USC. § 981.
The remaining funds, over $1 million, were released back to the family.
