A Washington, D.C.-based Republican policy advisory and lobbying firm has taken longstanding allegations of heroin trafficking involving Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to members of the United States Congress.
Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. announced the move in a statement posted on its verified X account on Wednesday. The firm said it began engaging lawmakers and senior congressional staff after recent developments in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case linked to the claims against Tinubu.
According to the firm, members of Congress and their aides returned to Washington on Wednesday, prompting immediate outreach. “Members of Congress and senior congressional staff returned to Washington today, and we wasted no time,” the statement read. It added that the firm “immediately began reaching out to our friends on Capitol Hill” to brief them on the matter.
The discussions focused on allegations that Tinubu was involved in heroin trafficking during the 1980s and 1990s. Von Batten-Montague-York argued the issue extends beyond Nigerian domestic politics and carries potential implications for the United States.
“Our message was clear: these allegations are not merely a Nigerian domestic political matter,” the firm stated. It warned that the claims could raise concerns for American policymakers regarding national security, law enforcement cooperation, intelligence sharing, and counter-narcotics operations. The firm also questioned the impact on relations between Washington and Abuja at a time when the United States is reassessing strategic partnerships across Africa.
In strong language, the firm described Tinubu as “Public Enemy Number 1 of the United States who has successfully escaped justice.” It claimed that, according to the US Department of Justice, FBI, and DEA, Tinubu was allegedly part of a criminal organization that smuggled heroin from Nigeria into the United States in the 1980s and 1990s.
“We will never know how many innocent Americans died as a result of Nigerian President #Tinubu’s alleged #heroin trafficking,” the statement continued. “What we do know is that the DOJ under President @JoeBiden fought to keep records concerning President Tinubu’s alleged crimes from being released.”
The firm urged Americans to contact their members of Congress, writing: “Call your Member of #Congress. Ask Congress to protect American families and children from alleged foreign drug traffickers like #Nigerian President Bola #Tinubu.” It specifically asked whether Tinubu represents “a strategic asset or an increasing national-security liability.”
The allegations referenced by the firm have previously faced public and legal scrutiny in the United States. President Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have consistently denied any wrongdoing and stressed that he has never been convicted of heroin trafficking.