Atiku’s lobbyist submits Tinubu’s US forfeiture case records to Trump, Congress

A Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., says it has begun providing members of the Donald Trump administration, the United States Congress and senior congressional staff with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) records relating to historical drug trafficking allegations involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The firm was hired by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, in March under a 12-month lobbying contract reportedly worth $1.2 million to strengthen his reputation in the United States, facilitate engagements with U.S. officials and Congress, and counter what the agreement described as the Nigerian government’s lobbying efforts.

In a statement posted on X, the lobbying firm said many officials within the U.S. government were previously unaware of the DOJ’s historical allegations and that it intended to ensure President Donald Trump received the complete collection of court filings, supporting affidavits and related federal court decisions.

«”Following discussions with members of the @realDonaldTrump Administration, Congress, and senior congressional staff, we began providing more than 60 pages of @TheJusticeDept documents concerning the DOJ’s allegations of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (@officialABAT) alleged involvement in a heroin trafficking investigation spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s,” the firm said.»

The firm also released a document titled “Background and Chronology of the 1993 U.S. Department of Justice Heroin-Proceeds Forfeiture Case and the 2023 FOIA Litigation Concerning Alleged Heroin Trafficking from Nigeria to the United States Involving Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

According to the document, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that a heroin trafficking organisation operating between Nigeria and the United States imported heroin into America and distributed it through members and associates based in Chicago.

The document identified Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adegboyega Mueez Akande, and Abiodun Agbele as individuals named in the 1993 civil forfeiture case, United States v. Funds in Account No. 263226700 et al.

It further stated that federal investigators examined the alleged trafficking network between 1988 and 1991, alleging that proceeds from the organisation were deposited into bank accounts owned or controlled by Tinubu in the United States.

The document also alleged that Tinubu operated multiple bank accounts through which the funds were received and transferred, while Akande was described as the alleged leader of the trafficking organisation and Agbele as an associate who later cooperated with investigators after his arrest.

According to the chronology, the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture action in 1993 seeking the forfeiture of funds it alleged were proceeds of heroin trafficking or involved in money laundering. The case ended in a negotiated civil settlement in which part of the funds was forfeited to the U.S. government.

The document also referenced a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in 2023 by journalist Aaron Greenspan, seeking records relating to the historical investigation.

It stated that a U.S. District Court ruled in 2025 that certain federal agencies, including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), could not rely on a blanket refusal to confirm or deny the existence of responsive records and ordered them to process relevant documents under the FOIA. The litigation remains ongoing.

According to the lobbying firm, the chronology, court records and FOIA rulings are being shared with members of the White House and several House and Senate committees for what it described as “informational and oversight purposes,” particularly as Nigeria remains a strategic U.S. partner and amid reports that President Tinubu is seeking a meeting with President Trump during the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly.

The 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture case was also raised during litigation following Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. Former presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi argued before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that Tinubu ought to have been disqualified over the forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States.

However, the PEPC ruled that the petitioners failed to prove that Tinubu had been convicted of any criminal offence in the United States.

The court further held that the forfeiture proceedings were civil—not criminal—in nature and that the evidence presented did not establish that Tinubu submitted false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the forfeiture.

Join Very Nigerian WhatsApp Channel
For Verified Breaking News, Exclusive Reports, Trending Stories, And Real-time Updates.
CLICk HERE TO JOIN!