NEWS
FOIA Case: Court-Ordered Deadline Expires in Alleged FBI, DEA Records Case Involving President Bola Tinubu
A United States-based advocacy firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has announced that the court-ordered deadline for final briefings in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case concerning alleged Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expired.
The development marks another stage in the ongoing legal proceedings, with the parties having now submitted their final arguments within the timeframe established by the court.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the firm said the court would proceed to examine the arguments presented by the parties before deliberating on the matter and determining the next steps in the case.
The firm’s statement specifically referred to what it described as alleged FBI and DEA records relating to claims of heroin trafficking involving President Tinubu. The allegations remain matters of dispute and are being addressed through the FOIA litigation.
The statement reads in full:
“In the FOIA case concerning alleged @FBI and @DEAHQ heroin-trafficking records related to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (@officialABAT), the court-ordered deadline for final briefings has now passed. Barring any new developments, the Court will now review the parties’ arguments and deliberate accordingly.
“We believe the Court will rule in favour of the plaintiff and order the release of portions of the alleged heroin-trafficking records concerning President Tinubu.
“We say portions because we believe the Court will protect sensitive law-enforcement methods while rejecting President Tinubu’s request for blanket privacy protection.”
The expiration of the briefing deadline does not, by itself, constitute a ruling on the substance of the case. Rather, it means that the court has reached the stage where it can consider the arguments and legal positions advanced by the parties before issuing a decision.
The advocacy firm expressed its expectation that the court would order the release of some of the records sought by the plaintiff.
However, it acknowledged that any disclosure could be limited where the court determines that portions of the material contain sensitive law-enforcement information.
The firm also expressed the view that President Tinubu’s privacy interests should not result in a blanket exemption from disclosure, while maintaining that sensitive investigative methods could remain protected.
The eventual decision will therefore determine whether any of the records sought under the FOIA litigation are subject to disclosure and, if so, the extent to which exemptions relating to privacy, law-enforcement techniques or other protected information may apply.
Until the court issues its ruling, the claims concerning the alleged records remain allegations advanced in the context of the legal proceedings and should not be treated as established findings of fact.