WASHINGTON, D.C. — US-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. has announced plans to explore legal options in the United States to petition law enforcement authorities over allegations stemming from a 1990s civil forfeiture case involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and alleged heroin trafficking proceeds.
In a statement posted on social media, the firm cited explanations from American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan regarding historical U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) documents. The lobbying firm claimed the records detailed allegations concerning funds linked to a Chicago-based heroin network that were ultimately forfeited under civil proceedings in 1993.
The Washington-based firm indicated that it is working to identify lawful channels within federal and state jurisdictions to urge law enforcement agencies to re-examine the historical drug money laundering matter.
Von Batten-Montague-York was retained earlier this year by former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to handle strategic communications and advocacy in the United States. The firm’s recent public statements build on ongoing efforts to submit historical DOJ filings to members of the U.S. Congress and executive agencies.
The presidency and legal representatives for President Tinubu have consistently dismissed the renewed focus on the 1993 civil settlement as a recycled political strategy, maintaining that the matter was a civil forfeiture proceeding rather than a criminal conviction, and noting that Nigeria’s apex courts have already reviewed and ruled on the issue during election petition trials.
