U.S. Judge Slams FBI, DEA Over Delays in Releasing Tinubu’s Criminal Records, Issues Final Ultimatum
A United States federal judge, Beryl A. Howell, has sharply criticised the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over what she described as deliberate delay tactics aimed at obstructing the release of President Bola Tinubu’s records sought under a 2022 Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
PulseNets learnt that the FOI request was filed by transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, chief executive officer of Plainsite, with support from investigative journalist David Hundeyin.
Justice Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., on February 3, faulted the FBI and DEA for stalling the disclosure of documents expected to shed further light on a narcotics-related episode in the early 1990s that reportedly led Mr Tinubu to forfeit $460,000 to the U.S. government. Mr Greenspan first submitted the FOI request in June 2022.
In her ruling, the judge said the persistent failure of both agencies to meet court-imposed timelines—marked by repeated extensions and adjournments—had dragged the case on for more than three years without meaningful progress. Fresh deadlines were consequently issued, with a warning that further excuses would not be tolerated, according to court filings obtained by PulseNets.
The FBI had, in 2023, indicated plans to release about 2,500 pages of Mr Tinubu’s records in monthly tranches of 500 pages. However, the process stalled after Mr Tinubu mounted a strong opposition, requesting a pause in the release pending the outcome of a Nigerian Supreme Court case challenging his election victory. He argued at the time that premature disclosure of his FBI files would “adversely affect” him.
Justice Howell approved the request then. Yet, even after the Supreme Court upheld Mr Tinubu’s presidential mandate, both the FBI and DEA continued to seek extensions, repeatedly asking for more time to process and release the records long expected to clarify lingering allegations linking Mr Tinubu to a cocaine trafficking network—claims the Nigerian president has consistently denied.
PulseNets reported that the FBI, which was expected to submit an updated report by May 2025, pushed the process forward by several months, resurfacing in January 2026 to request yet another deadline extension to February. That latest request triggered a stern rebuke from the court.
“Defendant FBI has produced no records, despite initially anticipating completion of searches by August 1, 2025, Joint Status Report (May 1, 2025), later pushed to September 1, 2025, [51] Joint Status Report (June 30, 2025); and production to begin by December 1, 2025, [51] Joint Status Report (June 30, 2025), later pushed to January 23, 2026, [62] Joint Status Report (December 1, 2025), and pushed again, with minimal explanation, to February 13, 2025,” Ms Howell said.
She added:
“Similar to the current posture of the DEA in this case, the FBI has provided no reliable end date for the processing and production of responsive records.”
The judge also dismissed the DEA’s justification for partially releasing documents while withholding others for more than six months. The agency had argued that some of the files were “out for consult” with other government bodies but failed to specify when those documents would be returned or made available to Mr Greenspan.
“Defendant DEA has produced some documents; see [54] Joint Status Report (August 7, 2025), but has parroted the same message for the past six months and four joint status reports regarding twelve remaining pages not yet produced,” the judge stated.
As a result, Justice Howell ordered the DEA to provide Mr Greenspan with a Vaughn index explaining the legal basis for redacting 50 pages and withholding 172 pages of Mr Tinubu’s records.
For the remaining 12 documents reportedly sent to other agencies, the court directed that a DEA official must submit sworn affidavits detailing—on a page-by-page basis—when each document was sent out for consultation, when reviews are expected to conclude, and what steps have been taken to speed up their release.
The FBI was equally ordered to file sworn explanations accounting for its repeated failure to meet deadlines, which the court said appeared designed to frustrate the FOI process initiated by Mr Greenspan.
Justice Howell further instructed the bureau to release all non-exempt records relating to Mr Tinubu, in line with its earlier commitment to deliver “its first interim response within two weeks of January 30, 2026.”
Additionally, the FBI was mandated to submit a clear production schedule showing how it plans to release the second batch of 500 pages by March 13 and complete the final batch by June 1, 2026.
“Submit to the court a detailed status report on how the FBI is fulfilling its representation that ‘the second interim response is anticipated for March 13, 2026,’ id., with production of segregable non-exempt information at the rate of 500 pages reviewed per month, and a plan to complete such processing and production by June 1, 2026,” the court filings stated.
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Both the FBI and DEA were also ordered to file joint progress reports every 14 days starting February 27, until all responsive records are fully processed and released.
PulseNets learnt that in April 2025, the court granted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) permission to exit the case after it successfully argued that there was no evidence it had gathered intelligence on Mr Tinubu.
