WASHINGTON D.C: A U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release records related to the criminal investigation of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu over alleged drug trafficking activities.
In a ruling issued on April 8, Judge Beryl A. Howell directed the agencies to search for and process any non-exempt documents in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by American legal researcher Aaron Greenspan. The ruling is publicly available on the court’s website.
Greenspan, who founded the legal transparency platform PlainSite, submitted 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023. His inquiries sought information on a Chicago-based drug trafficking network from the early 1990s and included records about Tinubu and three individuals: Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and Abiodun Agbele.
Previously, the FBI and DEA had issued “Glomar responses,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of relevant records. However, the court determined that such responses were not justified in this instance.
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According to the court’s decision, both agencies must now conduct a thorough search and release any records that are not exempt under FOIA. Also, the court instructed all parties to submit a joint status report by May 2, 2025.
“The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu in connection with the drug trafficking ring, the judgment stated. “Any privacy concerns raised by the FOIA requests are outweighed by the significant public interest in the disclosure of this information.
The ruling further emphasized that the FBI and DEA had not provided sufficient justification to maintain the secrecy of the investigation and, therefore, failed to meet the legal standards for their Glomar responses.
However, the court upheld the CIA’s Glomar response after Greenspan acknowledged that the agency had properly confirmed the existence of related records.
The ruling concluded: “Plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment regarding the Glomar responses issued by the FBI and DEA, while the CIA is entitled to summary judgment in its favor. The FBI and DEA must proceed with locating and processing responsive, non-exempt records. A joint status update on any remaining matters is to be filed by May 2, 2025, following the accompanying order.
