FBI, DEA Request 90-day Extension To Provide Investigative Files On President Tinubu
Despite a prior court-mandated deadline of May 2, U.S. law enforcement agencies say they anticipate submitting their findings by July 31.
In order to finish their search for investigation documents pertaining to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have jointly asked for a 90-day extension.
Despite a prior court-mandated deadline of May 2, U.S. law enforcement agencies say they anticipate submitting their findings by July 31.
The request comes after Aaron Greenspan, a U.S. citizen and transparency advocate, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) complaint.
He is looking for records related to a purported narcotics inquiry from the 1990s in which President Tinubu was allegedly involved.
Judge Beryl Howell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the agencies’ attempt to use a legal tactic known as the “Glomar response,” which would have permitted them to neither affirm nor deny the existence of pertinent documents, in a decision issued on April 8.
The judge directed the agencies to continue the search after finding the nondisclosure argument to be unpersuasive.
However, Greenspan has protested the 90-day extension and suggested that the agencies be granted no more than 14 days to adhere to the court’s directive.
U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr. and Assistant Attorney M. Jared Littman filed a joint status report confirming that the agencies have started their search despite the objection, estimating that it will take three more months to find and examine all responsive, non-exempt material.
According to the statement,
The plaintiff suggests that the FBI and DEA finish their searches and productions by next week, or at the very least, that the FBI and DEA produce unredacted versions of already-identified documents by next week, and the remainder of production in 14 days, given the years-long delay already caused by defendants and the fact that many responsive documents have already been identified.
Defendants offer absolutely no justification for why their document search should take ninety days.
The plaintiff plans to request his expenses, which total $440.22 (the $402.00 filing charge plus $38.22 for Certified Mail postage).
In order to inform the court of the case’s progress after the agencies have searched for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable sections of the data that the plaintiff requested, the defendants suggest that the parties file a joint status report by July 31, 2025, at the latest.
The plaintiff suggests submitting a joint status report by May 31, 2025, at the latest.
Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.
