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Washington, D.C./Abuja — September 14, 2026
Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. (VBMY), a Washington, D.C.-based political advisory and lobbying firm, has alleged that the Nigerian Presidency has been privately claiming that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records concerning President Bola Tinubu will never be released, and that a planned meeting between Tinubu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly will proceed because Nigeria has “settled the Americans.”
In a post on X, the firm said it had been told by “highly placed Nigerians” that the Presidency was expressing this confidence privately, but stated explicitly: “We have not independently verified these statements.” VBMY explained that “settled the Americans” is a Nigerian expression implying that something of value was provided in exchange for a favourable outcome.
The firm tied the claim to the Nigerian government’s announcement of a U.S.-Nigeria minerals agreement expected to be signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, arguing the timing “raises serious questions about appearances and the need to protect U.S. integrity.” It also referenced a separate, previously reported allegation that a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) connected to Tinubu had made an unsolicited $3 million offer to the firm — while stating plainly that it has “no evidence connecting that offer to the proposed minerals agreement.” VBMY said it had begun briefing the Trump administration about what it described as the “appearance problem” a signing ceremony at the UN could create.
Who is making the claim
VBMY is a firm that has been engaged in a months-long public campaign concerning Tinubu, tied to a long-running U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan seeking FBI, DEA, and other federal agency records related to a 1990s Chicago-based drug trafficking investigation that named Tinubu among several individuals. A federal judge, Beryl Howell, ruled in April 2026 that the FBI and DEA could not continue withholding confirmation of the records’ existence and ordered their release; the agencies have since sought extensions to comply. The underlying matter is a civil FOIA records-disclosure case, not a criminal proceeding, and Tinubu — who in 1993 forfeited $460,000 to U.S. authorities in connection with the case without being criminally charged — has not been convicted of any crime in the United States.
VBMY has been widely reported to be linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Tinubu’s rival in the 2023 presidential election, and has repeatedly clashed publicly with the Nigerian Presidency over recent months, including over the $3 million offer claim (which Presidential media adviser Sunday Dare dismissed at the time as the position of “a commercial lobbyist rather than the United States government”), a dispute over the appointment of the firm’s founder, Dr. Karl Von Batten, to a U.S. presidential commission, and threats of further U.S. court filings. Nigerian officials, including Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, have previously dismissed the firm’s claims as a “journey to nowhere” and questioned its credibility, framing its statements as political advocacy rather than verified intelligence.
Government response
As of this writing, the Nigerian Presidency had not issued a specific public response to Monday’s “settled the Americans” claim. In response to the firm’s earlier, related allegations, presidential officials have consistently denied any wrongdoing and have challenged VBMY to produce named sources and documentary evidence rather than what they describe as unverified claims presented as intelligence.
The proposed U.S.-Nigeria minerals agreement and the anticipated Tinubu-Trump meeting at the UN General Assembly had not been independently confirmed as finalized as of this writing.
