US District Judge Beryl Howell rejects a 10-day extension request and orders US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to produce records held by the DOJ, FBI and DEA by August 21.

A US federal judge has given US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro four additional days to comply with a court order requiring the release of records relating to alleged drug-trafficking activities involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

US District Judge Beryl A. Howell issued the latest order in a case that has been pending for more than three years, according to information made public on Tuesday by Dr. Von Batten-Montague-York in a post on X.

Pirro, who was appointed by US President Donald Trump, had reportedly requested an additional 10 days to comply with the court's directive. Judge Howell, however, granted only four days and set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the production of the records.

The materials reportedly include documents held by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The development has renewed attention to the long-running legal effort surrounding the records and allegations involving Tinubu. However, the existence of a court order concerning the release of records does not, by itself, establish the allegations contained in those records as fact.

Judge stresses age of case

In limiting the requested extension, Howell reportedly pointed to the length of time the underlying matter has remained before the court.

The judge's decision means the US Attorney's Office now has a firm deadline to comply with the order, unless a further directive is issued by the court.

Von Batten-Montague-York welcomed the ruling, describing it as an indication that Pirro and the Justice Department were moving with greater urgency to make the documents available.

“We deeply appreciate U.S. Attorney Pirro and the DOJ’s renewed motivation to release these documents, and we agree with Judge Howell. This case has been pending for three years. The time to release the Tinubu drug-trafficking files is now,” he wrote on X.

He also argued that the strategic relationship between the United States and Nigeria should not prevent the release of records subject to a judicial order.

“As President Trump has indicated, our shared interests with Nigeria do not mean supporting an alleged drug trafficker,” he added.

Records not yet made public

Despite the court's latest deadline, the records at the centre of the dispute have not been publicly released.

The documents are reportedly in the custody of multiple US federal agencies, including the DOJ, FBI and DEA, making the August 21 deadline significant for those seeking access to the materials.

Neither the US Department of Justice nor Pirro's office had issued an official public statement on the latest extension at the time of reporting.

The case has attracted interest because of the identities of the people and institutions involved, as well as the potential implications of releasing federal records connected to allegations concerning a sitting Nigerian president.

For now, the court's order establishes a deadline for the production of the requested materials, but it remains to be seen what documents will ultimately be released, whether any portions will be redacted, and what the records may contain.

Any claims emerging from the documents would still require careful verification and context before being treated as established facts.