Lagos, May 2, 2025 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the United States (US) have requested for additional 90 days to conclude their investigations on alleged drug dealings involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The US District Court of Columbia had in April given the two agencies up to May 2 to submit their reports, but they are requesting for additional 90 days to submit the joint report to end on or before July 31.
The court order followed a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by Aaron Greenspan, an American activist, seeking the release of documents connected to a 1990s investigation of a drug case that allegedly involved President Tinubu and others.
Greenspan is seeking access to investigative records from several US federal agencies regarding a 1990 drug trafficking and money laundering case in Chicago allegedly linked to Tinubu and others.
Judge Beryl Howell had on April 8 rejected the agencies’ use of “Glomar response”, a legal provision allowing them to neither confirm nor deny the existence of certain records.
Greenspan raised an objection to the 90-day extension being sought by the two agencies. He rather said only a 14-day extension be given to the agencies.
In a joint status signed by him, U.S. Attorney Edward Martin, Jr. and Assistant Attorney M. Jared Littman, they said, “Pursuant to the court’s order…, the FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches in ninety days.
“Based on the years-long delay already caused by defendants, and the fact that many responsive documents have already been identified, plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their searches and productions by next week, or at least that the FBI and DEA produce unredacted versions of already-identified documents by next week, and the remainder of production in 14 days.
“Defendants provide no rationale whatsoever as to why their search for documents should take 90 days.
“Plaintiff intends to request his costs (the filing fee of $402.00 and $38.22 for Certified Mail postage, for a total of $440.22).
“Defendants propose that the parties submit a joint status report on or before July 31, 2025, to apprise the court as to the status of the case following the agencies’ search for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by plaintiff.
“Plaintiff proposes that they submit a joint status report on or before May 31, 2025.”
