A United States lobbying firm linked to former vice‑president Atiku Abubakar has renewed demands for the release of records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 US civil forfeiture case and said it will engage anti‑drug organisations, religious leaders and victims of heroin abuse over the matter.
In a statement posted on its official X account, Von Batten‑Montague‑York said US law‑enforcement agencies under the Biden administration refused multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for records “concerning Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking from Nigeria to Chicago.” The firm said the requests were submitted by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration, citing FOIA numbers 1588244‑000, 1593615‑000, 22‑00892‑F, 24‑00201‑F and EOUSA‑2023‑002028.
“The FOIA requests were made by Aaron Greenspan,” the statement said. “The refusal and stonewalling by the Biden Administration led to US District Judge Beryl Howell ordering the Biden Administration in 2025 to release the files. Yet, no files have been released. This is going to change.”
Von Batten‑Montague‑York added that it would meet anti‑drug organisations, religious leaders and victims of heroin abuse and deaths in the United States to press the issue. The firm also invoked former President Donald Trump, saying, “As President Donald Trump has rightfully shown, US agencies must never protect foreign leaders accused of having links to drugs smuggled into the United States.”
The development follows recent public exchanges between Mr Atiku and the Presidency after disclosures that his US lobbying team had sent petitions to President Trump and the US State Department concerning the long‑running case. Mr Atiku, through spokesman Phrank Shaibu, criticised the Presidency for invoking China’s legal system in defending Mr Tinubu and said the approach had drawn fresh attention to the allegations. “It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock,” Mr Shaibu said.
The Presidency has dismissed the petitions and maintained that the United States confirmed there were no outstanding criminal proceedings against Mr Tinubu. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga accused Mr Atiku of corruption during his vice‑presidency and said that, if Mr Atiku had been in China, he would have been imprisoned for his actions.
The 1993 civil forfeiture — which involved funds linked to bank accounts associated with Mr Tinubu — was concluded more than three decades ago but has resurfaced in public debate ahead of the 2027 general election. The Presidency has repeatedly stressed that no criminal conviction was secured against Mr Tinubu in the United States, while opposition figures continue to press for broader disclosure of records.
OBSERVERS TIMES recalled the petitions and the renewed calls for disclosure. Von Batten‑Montague‑York said it would pursue the matter in the coming week with organised groups and victims’ representatives in the US.
