A Washington, D.C.-based Republican policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has briefed members of the U.S. Congress and senior congressional staff on longstanding allegations linking Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heroin trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s.
The firm announced the move in a post on its verified X account on Wednesday.
It said that after lawmakers and aides returned to Washington, it immediately contacted contacts on Capitol Hill to discuss a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case connected to the claims.Executive Branch
“Members of Congress and senior congressional staff returned to Washington today, and we wasted no time,” the firm stated.
It added that it “immediately began reaching out to our friends on Capitol Hill” to brief them.Nigerian News Aggregator
According to the firm, the talks centred on the alleged involvement of Tinubu in heroin trafficking during that period.
“Our message was clear: these allegations are not merely a Nigerian domestic political matter,” it said.
Von Batten-Montague-York argued that the issue raises potential questions for U.S. policymakers on national security, law enforcement cooperation, intelligence sharing, and counter-narcotics efforts.
It also highlighted possible implications for Nigeria-U.S. relations at a time when Washington is reviewing its strategic partnerships in Africa.
The firm further urged American officials to assess “whether President Tinubu represents a strategic asset or an increasing national-security liability.”Executive Branch
The allegations stem from a decades-old U.S. civil forfeiture case and related FOIA litigation.
Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have consistently denied any wrongdoing and noted that he has never been convicted of drug trafficking.
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