Tinubu Drug Case: FBI, DEA consider 90-day extension as they look to reopen abandoned drug case
Amidst ongoing case against President Tinubu, FBI, DEA consider reopening his abandoned records.
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration have made a request of a 90-day from a United States district Court to present documents on an alleged drug dealings relating involving incumbent Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, dating back to 1990s.
Tinubu, who has been found wanting of involving in drug dealing and pushing in the United States in the 90s, is said to have abandoned the case and secretly returned to Nigeria.
Prior to the 2023 Presidential Election, several allegations were made concerning his drug case by various quarters but were swept under the carper by Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and described him fit enough to run for presidency.
Tinubu faced my backlash over his educational qualification, pedigree and integrity during this period but were not good enough to hold him still from contesting and eventually winning the presidential race.
The request by FBI and DEA was submitted o Thursday in a collective status report filed with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The case emanated from a series of Freedom of Information Act requests by an American legal transparency advocate and founder of the platform Plainsite, Aaron Greenspan.
Greenspan is looking for the release of records connected to a Chicago-based drug syndicate and has also named Tinubu and other three individuals to be members: Lee Andrew, Mueez Adegoyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele.
The court, presided over by Judge Beryl Howell, had previously ordered the FBI and DEA to present a status update on the search and release of non-detach files by 2nd May, 2025.
Howbeit, according to the current filing, both agencies stated that they needed more time to complete their searches.
According to the request: “Aaron Greenspan (“Plaintiff”) and Defendants Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the only remaining defendants in this case, respectfully submit the following joint status report proposing a schedule to govern further proceedings, pursuant to the Court’s Order of April 8, 2025 (ECF No. 47).
“Pursuant to the court’s order, the defendants, FBI and DEA must search for and produce non-exempt records responsive to the plaintiff’s FOIA requests (FBI Requests Nos. 1588244-000 and 1593615- 000, and DEA Request Nos. 22-00892-F and 24-00201-F).
“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 in ninety days.”
Meanwhile, Greenspan antagonized the delay, claiming that the agencies lad already slowed down the process for many years and that some documents had already been identified. Then, he suggested a much shorter and definite deadline.
“Given the yea0rs-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, or, at the very least, produce unredacted versions of the already-identified documents by next week, with the remainder completed in 14 days.
“The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days.
“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 in ninety days,” Greenspan said.
The FOIA requests, filed between 2022 and 2023, garnered records from various federal agencies.
At the beginning, the FBI and DEA issues, Glomar Responses” declining to assent to or refute the reports of existence of relevant records.
Eventually, the court deemed considered the response inappropriate, ordering the agencies to continue with full or frag disclosures anywhere applicable.
Greenspan has also been seeking repayment of $440.22 as his filing and mailing costs.
The both sides are opposite of each other over when the next joint status report should be filed, as the agencies suggested 31st July, 2025, while Greenspan implored the court to set the deadline for 31st mat, 2025.
“The plaintiff intends to request reimbursement for his costs: the filing fee of $402.00 and $38.22 for certified mail postage, totalling $440.22.
“The defendants propose that the parties submit a joint status report on or before July
31, 2025 to update the Court on the case status following the agencies’ search for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable records requested by the plaintiff. The plaintiff proposes that they submit a joint status report on or before May 31, 2025,” the report added.
It is interesting to see that the FBI and DEA are rising to the occasion to reopen abandoned drug case file relating to the current president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, the president is neither scared nor moved by this development as he sits tight in power, making preparations for his reelection as the opposition parties (the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) are plotting to form a coalition party in a bid to oust the president in next presidential election (2027).
Fingers are crossed, everyone is watching and waiting to see how far the United States anti-crime and anti-drug agencies will go in bringing the president to book if found guilty of the drug-related allegation levelled against him.
It has been a long time coming, and this time might just be the right time that justice will be served. In months to come, the truth of the drug suit will be made known to the public and the innocent shall be set free.
Tinubu Drug Case: FBI, DEA Consider 90-Day Extension