Mathew Amaechi
In a twist that has added fuel to the ongoing battle over government transparency, the FBI and DEA have jointly filed a request with a U.S. District Court for a 90-day extension to complete their search for documents tied to an alleged 1990s drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The dispute stems from a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests initiated by American legal transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, founder of the platform PlainSite. Greenspan’s requests seek records linked to a Chicago-based drug ring and name Tinubu along with three others: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.
Initially, officials from both the FBI and DEA issued “Glomar responses”—a legal tactic used to neither confirm nor deny the existence of records—prompting Greenspan to press for full disclosure.Presiding over the matter is Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The judge had previously set May 2, 2025, as the deadline for the agencies to provide a status update on their search for non-exempt records.
In a filing submitted Thursday, the FBI and DEA outlined their need for an additional ninety days to identify and segregate the responsive, non-exempt materials. The agencies emphasized that the extension is necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of the documents, which were requested through multiple FOIA filings from 2022 to 2023.
Greenspan, however, condemned the proposed delay, arguing that the process had already been marred by years-long stalling and that many relevant documents had been identified long ago. “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,” he stated. His proposal called for either a significantly shorter deadline or the immediate release of unredacted records, with the remainder to follow within 14 days.
Further complicating the case is a disagreement over the timeline for the next status report. While the FBI and DEA have suggested July 31, 2025, Greenspan has urged the court to set the deadline for May 31, 2025.
In addition to demanding quicker disclosure, he is also seeking reimbursement for his filing and mailing expenses—totalling $440.22—arguing that the prolonged delays have imposed unnecessary financial burdens.
As the case unfolds, the public—and particularly advocates for government transparency—remain keenly interested in how much, and how quickly, further information will be disclosed about a case that spans decades. While the agencies insist that the extra time is essential for a thorough and lawful search, transparency proponents argue that continued delays only serve to obscure accountability.