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The anticipated release of documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) related to an alleged drug investigation involving President Bola Tinubu has been delayed.
The records were originally ordered to be released by May 2, 2025, by Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. However, in a joint status report filed on Thursday, May 1, the FBI and DEA requested an additional 90 days to complete their review.
The case originates from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in June 2023 by U.S. transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan. The suit seeks access to records from several federal agencies concerning a 1990s drug trafficking and money laundering investigation in Chicago, allegedly involving Tinubu and others.
Between 2022 and 2023, Greenspan submitted 12 FOIA requests targeting the FBI, DEA, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of State, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Indiana and Illinois, and the CIA. The requests focus on documents related to Bola Tinubu, Mueez Akande, Lee Andrew Edwards, and Abiodun Agbele.
In their court filing, the FBI and DEA said they are conducting searches for non-exempt, reasonably segregable records and expect to complete the process within 90 days.
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches… and anticipate completing them in ninety days,” the agencies stated.
Greenspan opposed the requested extension, calling it an unnecessary delay. He urged the court to impose a shorter timeline, noting that some documents had already been identified and should be released without further postponement.
“The plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their searches and productions by next week—or at the very least, release unredacted versions of the already-identified documents by then—with the remainder to follow within 14 days,” Greenspan stated.
He criticized the agencies for offering “no rationale” for their request for an additional 90 days, highlighting the years of previous delays in responding to the FOIA requests.
The court has not yet ruled on the extension request.
