A Washington-based lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says it has submitted U.S. Department of Justice records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case to members of the Donald Trump administration, Congress and senior congressional staff, as part of efforts to raise awareness of the matter ahead of Tinubu’s expected diplomatic engagements in the United States.
A Washington-based lobbying firm engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says it has begun distributing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s 1993 civil forfeiture case to members of the Donald Trump administration, the U.S. Congress and senior congressional aides.
The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, was contracted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate in March under a 12-month, $1.2 million agreement to enhance Atiku’s standing in the United States, facilitate engagements with U.S. officials and counter what the contract describes as the Nigerian government’s lobbying efforts.
In a statement posted on X, the lobbying firm said it had started providing more than 60 pages of DOJ court documents, affidavits and related federal court decisions concerning allegations linked to Tinubu’s decades-old forfeiture case to key officials in Washington.
According to the firm, the documents include records from the 1993 civil forfeiture proceedings, historical court filings and updates on an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking additional records related to the case.
The firm said the materials are being shared with officials in the White House, Congress and several House and Senate committees for what it described as “informational and oversight purposes,” particularly as reports suggest Tinubu may seek a meeting with President Trump during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The records revisit allegations made by the U.S. government in the early 1990s concerning funds linked to an alleged heroin trafficking investigation. The case ended with a negotiated civil forfeiture settlement in which part of the funds was forfeited to the U.S. government. Tinubu has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing.
The issue was also central to legal challenges against Tinubu’s election after the 2023 presidential poll. However, the Presidential Election Petition Court ruled that the forfeiture proceedings were civil—not criminal—and that the petitioners failed to prove Tinubu had been convicted of any offence or had submitted false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).