The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have confirmed that their search for investigative records concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still ongoing.
The two United States agencies stated that they anticipate completing the process within 90 days, with a joint status report expected on or before 31 July 2025.
It had been widely expected that the records would be released imminently, in line with a U.S. court order.
On 8 April 2025, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the FBI and DEA must release documents related to a 1990s drug investigation allegedly involving President Tinubu and others. The court dismissed the agencies’ attempt to invoke the “Glomar response”—a legal strategy that permits them to neither confirm nor deny the existence of certain records—ruling that the justification for withholding the information lacked merit.
However, in a joint status report filed on Tuesday, the agencies, along with the plaintiff Aaron Greenspan and U.S. government attorneys Edward Martin Jr. and M. Jared Littman, informed the court that the report was not yet ready. The status report proposed a new timeline for further proceedings.
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by the plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches within ninety days.”
Greenspan, who submitted the original Freedom of Information (FoI) request, expressed dissatisfaction with the timeline. He argued that the agencies have already identified many relevant documents and urged the court to compel their release by next week. He also indicated plans to seek reimbursement for filing and postage fees, totalling $440.22.
The report notes disagreement between the parties regarding the next status update:
The defendants (FBI and DEA) propose a joint report by 31 July 2025.
The plaintiff (Greenspan) prefers a shorter timeline, proposing 31 May 2025.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Presidency has downplayed the relevance of the records. Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the documents in question are nearly 30 years old and unlikely to contain any new revelations.
