![President Bola Tinubu. [Getty Images]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/28102024/7c9c245f-5a50-4e90-97dd-af55aa71eaad?operations=autocrop(1042:580))
)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have jointly requested a 90-day extension from a U.S. District Court to complete the release of documents related to an alleged 1990s drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The request, filed Thursday, May 1, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, follows a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit by Aaron Greenspan, a legal transparency advocate and founder of PlainSite.
Greenspan seeks records related to a Chicago-based drug ring, naming Tinubu and others, including Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.
In the joint filing, the FBI and DEA informed the court that although searches had been initiated, they would need three more months to locate and process non-exempt, segregable records.
)
)
)
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches... and anticipate completing their searches in ninety days,” the agencies wrote.
Judge Beryl Howell had previously ordered the agencies to provide a status update by May 2, 2025.
However, this latest filing could further delay the release of potentially significant documents. Greenspan, who has long criticised the agencies’ pace, strongly opposed the extension.
“The FBI and DEA have delayed this process for years, despite already identifying some relevant documents,” he said.
He has proposed a much shorter timeline for the release, accusing the agencies of stalling.
The outcome of this legal standoff could have international ramifications, given Tinubu’s current role as Nigeria’s head of state and the long-standing questions surrounding his past in the United States.
The court must decide whether to grant the extension or compel the agencies to expedite the document release.