Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has begun disseminating documents concerning a 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture case involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These records are being shared with members of the Donald Trump administration and congressional staff.
The firm, which signed a $1.2 million, 12-month contract with Atiku in March, noted that it provided over 60 pages of Department of Justice materials. These documents detail allegations from the early 1990s regarding a heroin trafficking investigation that linked funds in accounts associated with Tinubu to illegal narcotics proceeds. The materials include a chronology of the 1993 case in the Northern District of Illinois, where the U.S. government sought the seizure of funds, eventually resulting in a civil settlement.
In addition to the historical forfeiture records, the distributed information covers recent 2023 Freedom of Information Act litigation led by journalist Aaron Greenspan. The firm stated these documents are being presented for oversight and informational purposes given the strategic ties between Nigeria and the United States.
This forfeiture case was previously a point of contention during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party candidate Peter Obi unsuccessfully argued before the Presidential Election Petition Court that the matter impacted Tinubu’s eligibility. The court ultimately dismissed these claims, ruling that the civil forfeiture did not constitute a criminal conviction and that Tinubu had not provided false information to the electoral commission.
