A United States Federal Court has taken a new procedural step in the ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation concerning federal investigative records linked to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.

According to updates shared on X by Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.—a Washington-based lobbying firm retained by former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar—Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia has granted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) permission to submit sensitive documents to the court privately for an in-camera review.

The ruling follows an application filed by the FBI requesting to submit an ex parte, under-seal declaration.

The law enforcement agency stated that it could not publicly explain the full basis for withholding certain records without disclosing sensitive law-enforcement techniques or potentially endangering individuals.

In her order, Judge Howell directed the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and President Tinubu’s legal team to file their final oppositions to the public release of the records by August 28, 2026, and no later.

Commenting on the directive, the lobbying firm noted that the strict “and no later” deadline indicates the court is pressing for a final resolution to the long-standing disclosure requests. The firm further argued that the agency’s reliance on private judicial review suggests the materials contain highly sensitive law-enforcement data beyond basic civil proceedings.

The underlying lawsuit was initiated by American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, who filed multiple FOIA requests seeking records held by US agencies regarding investigations from the early 1990s.

While federal agencies initially issued “Glomar” responses—refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records—Judge Howell ruled in April 2025 that the agencies must process non-exempt documents for potential public disclosure.

The historical matters in question stem from a 1993 civil forfeiture case in Chicago involving approximately $460,000.

President Tinubu was not criminally charged in the case and has consistently maintained that the matter was resolved as a non-criminal civil settlement.

While public reports currently rely on updates provided by the lobbying firm, formal entries regarding the private filing instructions are expected to be processed through the official court docket as the August 28 deadline approaches.