FBI, DEA Fail To Release Dossier On Tinubu, Seek 90-day Extension

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have informed a United States Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday that they needed an additional 90 days to produce investigation reports related to an alleged drug case involving President Bola Tinubu in the 1990s.

The two US federal agencies made the request in a Joint Status Report submitted to the court, along with the plaintiff in the case, Aaron Greenspan.

However, Greenspan, an American, rejected the proposal and instead suggested a 14-day extension for the FBI and DEA to produce the records.

The District Court, presided over by Judge Beryl Howell, had previously ordered the agencies, on April 8, 2025, to search for and process non-exempt records related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by Greenspan, with a report due on May 2, 2025.

Greenspan, the founder of the legal transparency platform PlainSite, had filed 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023, seeking information on a Chicago drug ring that operated in the early 1990s.

His requests included records on Tinubu and three other individuals: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.

Previously, the FBI and DEA had issued “Glomar responses” — a refusal to confirm or deny the existence of the requested records — but the court ruled that such responses were inappropriate in the instance.

In the Joint Status Report dated May 1, 2025, the FBI and DEA stated that they have begun their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of the records requested by the plaintiff and anticipated completing their searches within 90 days.

On his part, Greenspan insisted that the agencies should produce unredacted versions of already-identified documents by next week, while the remaining records should be produced within 14 days.

He also argued that the defendants failed to provide any valid rationale for why the search for the documents would take 90 days.

Greenspan and two lawyers representing the defendants, Edwards Martin, Jr. and Jared Litman, signed the report.

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 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.

“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 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 312025 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.”