WASHINGTON, USA – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have jointly requested a 90-day extension to complete their search for records related to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, despite a court order mandating a Friday, May 2, 2025 deadline.
The request stems from an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) lawsuit filed by U.S. transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan.
The case seeks access to documents tied to an alleged drug-related investigation involving Tinubu in the 1990s—an issue that has periodically resurfaced in Nigeria’s political discourse.
Earlier in April, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the agencies’ use of a “Glomar response,” a legal maneuver that would have allowed them to neither confirm nor deny the existence of relevant documents.
In a sharp rebuke, the judge ruled that the justification for nondisclosure lacked credibility, and ordered the agencies to proceed with their search and production of records.
According to a joint status report filed by U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr. and Assistant Attorney M. Jared Littman, both agencies have initiated their searches but estimate it will take until July 31, 2025, to identify, review, and produce all non-exempt, segregable records responsive to the FoIA request.
They did not provide a detailed rationale for the duration of the extension.
Greenspan, who has long advocated for government transparency through his public records platform PlainSite, has opposed the proposed timeline.
In court filings, he argued that the agencies have already delayed the process by years and demanded they either complete production by next week or be granted no more than 14 additional days.
“Defendants provide no rationale whatsoever as to why their search for documents should take 90 days,” Greenspan said.
He is also seeking reimbursement for $440.22 in costs associated with the filing and certified mail fees.
Greenspan further proposed that the next joint status report be submitted by Saturday, May 31, 2025, while the government has requested the deadline be pushed to Thursday, July 31, 2025.
While the FoIA suit does not itself allege criminal wrongdoing, it continues to raise questions about President Tinubu’s past and the transparency of U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The Nigerian leader has consistently denied any involvement in criminal activity and has never been formally charged in relation to the allegations referenced in the 1990s.
