In a surprising turn of events, the anticipated release of records by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concerning an alleged drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has been postponed.
Initially, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell had directed the FBI and DEA to make the documents public by May 2, 2025, following a ruling in April. However, on May 1, both agencies filed a joint status report seeking a 90-day extension to complete the process.
The legal action originates from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in June 2023 by U.S. transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan.
The suit aimed to compel multiple U.S. federal agencies to release information related to a 1990s drug trafficking and money laundering investigation in Chicago, allegedly involving Tinubu and others.
Between 2022 and 2023, Greenspan submitted 12 FOIA requests to agencies including the FBI, DEA, IRS, CIA, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Indiana and Illinois. The requests specifically targeted records concerning Bola Tinubu, Mueez Akande, Lee Andrew Edwards, and Abiodun Agbele.
However, in their latest filing, the FBI and the DEA said they needed more time to complete their searches.
The report reads, “Aaron Greenspan (“Plaintiff”) and Defendants Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the only remaining defendants in this case, respectfully submit the following joint status report proposing a schedule to govern further proceedings, pursuant to the Court’s Order of April 8, 2025 (ECF №47).
“Pursuant to the court’s order, the defendants, FBI and DEA must search for and produce non-exempt records responsive to the plaintiff’s FOIA requests (FBI Requests Nos. 1588244–000 and 1593615- 000, and DEA Request Nos. 22–00892-F and 24–00201-F).
“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.”
But the request did not go down well with Greenspan as the activist proposed a much shorter deadline, arguing that the agencies had already delayed the process for years.
“Given the years-long delay already caused by the defendants and the fact that many responsive documents have already been identified, the plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their searches and productions by next week, or, at the very least, produce unredacted versions of the already-identified documents by next week, with the remainder completed in 14 days. The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days.
“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,” Greenspan said.
What you should know
Despite a court order and years of litigation, the FBI and DEA are delaying the release of sensitive records allegedly linked to President Tinubu’s past. The extension has sparked criticism from the FOIA applicant, Aaron Greenspan, who insists the documents should already be available.
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