FBI, DEA Seek More Time to Release Tinubu-Linked Documents

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have requested an additional 90 days from a U.S. court to release documents tied to a decades-old drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

The request was made in a joint filing submitted on Thursday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It stems from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by Aaron Greenspan, a U.S.-based legal transparency advocate and founder of the platform PlainSite.

Greenspan is seeking the release of records connected to a suspected drug trafficking network in Chicago and has listed Tinubu, along with Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele, as individuals of interest.

Earlier, the court had directed the FBI and DEA to update the status of their document search by May 2, 2025. However, both agencies now say they need more time to complete the process.

According to the joint report, “The FBI and DEA have begun their searches for non-exempt, segregable records in response to the FOIA requests and expect to conclude the searches within 90 days.”

Greenspan, however, strongly opposed the delay, arguing that the agencies have already stalled the release for years and that some records have already been located. He suggested the agencies should release identified, unredacted documents within a week and complete the rest in two weeks.

The FOIA requests, submitted between 2022 and 2023, targeted several federal agencies. Initially, both the FBI and DEA issued “Glomar responses,” declining to confirm or deny the existence of relevant files. The court later ruled that this was not acceptable and ordered the agencies to proceed with disclosures where applicable.

Greenspan is also asking the court to reimburse $440.22 in filing and mailing expenses. He has urged the court to set a deadline of May 31, 2025, for the next status update, while the agencies have suggested July 31.

Background

1. Recall that U.S. transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan filed FOIA requests seeking documents related to a 1990s drug investigation allegedly involving President Bola Tinubu and others. The aim was to uncover details about a suspected Chicago-based drug ring
2. Initially, the FBI and DEA refused to confirm whether such records existed—a response known as a “Glomar response.” However, a U.S. District Court later ruled that this was inadequate and ordered the agencies to search for and release any non-exempt records.
3. Now, both agencies are asking for 90 more days to complete the search, saying they are still reviewing documents. But Greenspan is opposing the delay, arguing they’ve had years and that some records have already been found.