The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration have requested a 90-day extension to produce documents related to a decades-old drug investigation allegedly involving Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to The PUNCH, the extension request was made through a joint status report filed on Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, following ongoing litigation initiated by Aaron Greenspan, a transparency advocate and founder of PlainSite.
Greenspan is pursuing the release of documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that pertain to a Chicago drug ring from the 1990s. Tinubu, alongside three other individuals—Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele—was named in the request.
According to the report, the FBI and DEA stated that searches for the non-exempt, segregable portions of the requested records had begun and would be concluded within 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,” the agencies jointly stated.
However, Greenspan has opposed the delay, arguing that it is unnecessary and excessive, especially considering that some relevant documents have already been located.
“The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days,” Greenspan contended. “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.”
Greenspan also urged the court to compel the release of unredacted versions of the already-identified documents within a week, with the remainder to follow within 14 days.
The legal dispute dates back to FOIA filings made between 2022 and 2023. Initially, the agencies issued what is known as a “Glomar response,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of any documents. However, the court later ruled this response inappropriate and ordered partial or full disclosures.
As part of the suit, Greenspan is also seeking reimbursement for $440.22 in filing and mailing costs, stating, “The plaintiff intends to request reimbursement for his costs: the filing fee of $402.00 and $38.22 for certified mail postage.”
The parties remain divided over the timeline for submitting the next status update to the court. While the agencies suggested July 31, 2025, Greenspan pushed for an earlier deadline of May 31, 2025.
