In a surprising development, the highly anticipated release of documents by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) related to an alleged drug investigation involving President Bola Tinubu has been postponed.
Judge Beryl Howell ordered the records’ release on April 2, 2025. The FBI and DEA were expected to comply by May 2, 2025. However, both agencies filed a joint report on May 1, requesting 90 more days. They said they needed more time to complete the search and produce the documents.
Aaron Greenspan filed a FOIA lawsuit in June 2023. The case seeks records from a 1990s drug trafficking and money laundering probe in Chicago. The investigation allegedly involved President Tinubu and several associates.
From 2022 to 2023, Greenspan filed 12 FOIA requests to several federal agencies. These included the FBI, DEA, IRS, State Department, and CIA. He also contacted U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Indiana and Illinois. His requests focused on Bola Tinubu, Mueez Akande, Lee Andrew Edwards, and Abiodun Agbele.
In their recent filing, the FBI and DEA confirmed their search had started. They claimed they needed more time to locate and process eligible records. They aim to find “responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions” of the requested documents.
“The agencies anticipate completing their searches within ninety days,” the report stated, referencing FOIA Request Nos. 1588244–000 and 1593615-000 (FBI), and 22–00892-F and 24–00201-F (DEA).
Greenspan strongly opposed the extension request. He accused the agencies of repeated delays. He insisted they had already found many relevant documents. Based on these, he demanded their release within a week or, at most, 14 days.
“Given the years-long delay already caused by the defendants, the plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their productions by next week,” Greenspan said in his counter-argument. “The agencies offer no justification for why the process should now take an additional 90 days.”
The court is expected to review both proposals and determine a new timeline for the document release, which has drawn wide attention due to the political significance of the individuals involved.
