The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have jointly asked a U.S. District Court for a 90-day extension to complete the release of documents related to a decades-old drug investigation that allegedly involves Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
This development is tied to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by legal transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, founder of the platform PlainSite.
Greenspan is seeking records connected to a Chicago drug trafficking case that allegedly involves Tinubu and three others: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.
According to a joint status report filed on Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the FBI and DEA told Judge Beryl Howell they were still processing the search and would need an additional 90 days to complete it.
“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 No. 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,” the report noted.
Greenspan, however, is strongly opposed to any further delays. He claims that the agencies have already stalled the process for years, despite having located many of the relevant documents.
“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,” Greenspan said.
The FOIA requests at the heart of the case, filed between 2022 and 2023, target records across several federal agencies. Initially, the FBI and DEA responded with “Glomar” replies — refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records. The court has since ruled those responses unacceptable and ordered more transparent action.
Greenspan is also seeking reimbursement of $440.22 in filing and mailing fees, comprising a $402 court fee and $38.22 in postage.
Disagreements continue over the next reporting date. While the FBI and DEA proposed a July 31 deadline, Greenspan wants the next joint status update submitted by May 31, 2025.
“The plaintiff intends to request reimbursement for his costs: the filing fee of $402.00 and $38.22 for certified mail postage, totalling $440.22.
“The defendants propose that the parties submit a joint status report on or before July 31, 2025 to update the Court on the case status following the agencies’ search for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable records requested by the plaintiff. The plaintiff proposes that they submit a joint status report on or before May 31, 2025,” the filing added.
