A Washington-based lobbying firm hired by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has announced that it is distributing United States Department of Justice (DOJ) records relating to historical drug trafficking allegations against President Bola Tinubu to members of President Donald Trump’s administration, Congress and senior congressional staff.
Von Batten-Montague-York, which signed a 12-month lobbying agreement worth $1.2 million with Atiku in March, said the move is aimed at ensuring US officials are fully informed about court filings linked to Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case. The contract also covers strengthening Atiku’s reputation in the US, facilitating engagements with American officials and countering what it described as the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives.
In a post on X, the firm said it had begun circulating more than 60 pages of DOJ documents, including court filings, a supporting affidavit and federal court decisions concerning allegations tied to a heroin trafficking investigation dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.
According to the firm, many officials in the US government were previously unaware of the records, and it intends to ensure President Trump receives the complete documentation.
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, the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The document summarises allegations made by the US Department of Justice in the 1993 civil forfeiture case, United States v. Funds in Account No. 263226700 et al., No. 93 C 4483. It states that investigators examined a heroin trafficking organisation allegedly operating between 1988 and 1991 and claimed proceeds from the operation were deposited into bank accounts in the United States linked to Tinubu.
The DOJ alleged that Tinubu opened and controlled multiple bank accounts used to receive and transfer funds believed to be proceeds of heroin trafficking. The filings also named Adegboyega Mueez Akande, described by the government as the alleged leader of the trafficking organisation, and Abiodun Agbele, who was accused of selling heroin before later cooperating with investigators.
According to the chronology, the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture action in 1993 seeking the seizure of funds it alleged were linked to heroin trafficking or money laundering. The case ended with a negotiated settlement in which part of the funds was forfeited to the US government.
The document further outlines a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in 2023 by journalist Aaron Greenspan, seeking records related to the historical investigation. It notes that in 2025, a US District Court ordered agencies including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to process certain requested records instead of refusing to confirm or deny their existence. The litigation remains ongoing.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it has also shared the chronology, court records and FOIA rulings with several House and Senate committees for what it described as “informational and oversight purposes”, citing Nigeria’s strategic relationship with the United States and reports that President Tinubu is seeking a meeting with President Trump during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The 1993 forfeiture case was a major issue during legal challenges to the 2023 Nigerian presidential election. Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar argued before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that Tinubu should have been disqualified because of the forfeiture.
However, the PEPC ruled that the petitioners failed to prove Tinubu had been convicted of any criminal offence in the United States. The court also held that the forfeiture proceedings were civil, not criminal, and found no evidence that Tinubu submitted false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by not disclosing the forfeiture.
