A United States lobbying firm connected to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has renewed calls for the release of documents relating to President Bola Tinubu’s alleged involvement in a decades-old drug investigation, while unveiling plans to engage anti-drug advocacy groups and families affected by heroin abuse in the US.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Saturday, Von Batten-Montague-York claimed that American law enforcement agencies had repeatedly declined to release the requested records despite several applications made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The firm said the requests were submitted by US transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
According to the statement, the agencies, under former President Joe Biden’s administration, refused to release the documents, prompting a legal challenge that eventually led a US court to direct that the records be made public.
“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.
It further claimed that US District Judge Beryl Howell ordered the agencies in 2025 to disclose the records, but alleged that the directive has yet to be complied with.
The lobbying group also disclosed plans to meet with anti-drug organisations, faith leaders and individuals affected by heroin addiction and overdose deaths in the United States to discuss the issue.
“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.
“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,” the statement added.
The development follows recent criticism by Atiku of the Presidency over its response to petitions reportedly submitted by his US lobbying team to President Donald Trump and the US State Department concerning Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case.
Speaking through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the Presidency’s attempt to defend Tinubu by citing China’s anti-drug laws had backfired, saying it only renewed public attention on the long-running controversy.
The Presidency has rejected the petitions, maintaining that US authorities have confirmed there are no pending criminal proceedings against Tinubu.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga also accused Atiku of corruption during his tenure as vice president, insisting that the President was never convicted in relation to the civil forfeiture case.
The decades-old forfeiture matter has again become a subject of political debate ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition figures demanding greater transparency while the Presidency maintains that the case ended without any criminal conviction against Tinubu.
(The Sun)
