The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have jointly requested a 90-day extension from a U.S. District Court to produce documents related to an alleged drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu dating back to the 1990s.
The request, submitted on Thursday, was included in a joint status report filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The case originates from a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests made by Aaron Greenspan, an American legal transparency advocate and founder of the platform PlainSite. Greenspan is demanding the release of records linked to a Chicago-based drug ring and has named Tinubu alongside Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.
Judge Beryl Howell had earlier ordered the FBI and DEA to update the court on their efforts to locate and release non-exempt documents by May 2, 2025.
However, in the latest filing, both agencies stated they need additional time to finalize their searches. “The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by the plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches in ninety days,” the joint report stated.
Greenspan opposed the proposed delay, arguing the process had already been stalled for years and that many of the relevant documents had already been identified. He called for the production of unredacted versions of those documents by next week and for the remainder to be released within 14 days. “The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days,” he argued.
The FOIA requests, filed between 2022 and 2023, targeted multiple federal agencies. Initially, the FBI and DEA responded with “Glomar responses,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records. The court later ruled such responses were not appropriate in this case and directed the agencies to provide full or partial disclosures where applicable.
Greenspan is also seeking reimbursement of $440.22, covering filing and mailing costs.
Disagreement remains over the next status report deadline. While the FBI and DEA suggested July 31, 2025, Greenspan has proposed May 31, 2025.
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