The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have confirmed that their searches for investigative records related to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are still ongoing, with a projected completion date set for July 31, 2025.

The agencies disclosed the update in a joint status report filed on Wednesday, following a U.S. court order mandating the release of records linked to a 1990s drug investigation involving President Tinubu. The case stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) request by American citizen Aaron Greenspan, whose legal challenge led to an April 8 ruling by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell.

Judge Howell had ordered the FBI and DEA to disclose any non-exempt, segregable documents, rejecting the agencies’ earlier use of the “Glomar response” — a legal provision allowing government agencies to neither confirm nor deny the existence of requested records.

Despite expectations that the documents would be released by May 1, the FBI and DEA, in their joint status update signed by Greenspan, U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Jared Littman, indicated that the process requires more time.

“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,” the report stated.

The plaintiff, Greenspan, has criticized the extended timeline, citing prior delays and noting that several responsive documents had already been identified. He requested the immediate release of unredacted versions of those documents, arguing that additional production should not exceed two weeks.

Greenspan also signaled his intent to seek reimbursement for costs totaling $440.22, which includes the filing fee and postage for the lawsuit.

While the U.S. government agencies have proposed to file the next joint status report by July 31, Greenspan has pushed for an earlier update by May 31.

The Nigerian Presidency has downplayed the development, with Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stating that the records in question are not new and would contain nothing previously undisclosed. “These are 30-year-old reports that have been in the public domain,” he said.