Atiku-linked US lobbying firm urges release of Tinubu records

A United States lobbying firm connected to former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has intensified its campaign for the release of U.S. records concerning President Bola Tinubu's alleged involvement in drug trafficking. The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, announced its intention to collaborate with anti-drug organizations and victims of heroin abuse in the U.S. over the matter.

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The FBI, the Justice Department, and the DEA under President Joe Biden refused FOIA requests to release records concerning Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking from Nigeria to Chicago.

The firm stated that U.S. law enforcement agencies, under the previous Biden administration, denied multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking documents related to Tinubu's alleged ties to heroin trafficking investigations. These requests were reportedly filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan with the FBI, Department of Justice, and DEA.

According to the lobbying firm, despite a U.S. District Judge ordering the Biden administration to release the files in 2025, no documents have been made public. "This is going to change," the firm declared in a statement shared on its X account. It also criticized former President Joe Biden's administration for allegedly protecting foreign leaders accused of drug smuggling into the U.S.

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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 renewed calls follow Atiku Abubakar's recent criticism of the Nigerian Presidency's response to petitions allegedly submitted by his U.S. lobbying team to former President Donald Trump and the U.S. State Department regarding Tinubu's 1993 civil forfeiture case. Atiku's spokesman argued that the Presidency's defense, which invoked China's legal system, inadvertently drew more attention to the allegations.

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Next week, we will be engaging with anti-drug organisations, religious leaders, and victims of heroin abuse and deaths regarding President Tinubu’s alleged link to heroin trafficking in Chicago.