Lobbying firm sends Tinubu forfeiture files to US officials

A lobbying firm hired by former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has begun distributing U.S. Department of Justice documents relating to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving President Bola Tinubu to officials in the administration of President Donald Trump and members of Congress. The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., stated it is providing more than 60 pages of records concerning allegations linked to a heroin trafficking investigation from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The documents reference a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, titled United States v. Funds in Account No. 263226700 et al., which identified Tinubu and two associates, Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele. According to the records, U.S. investigators alleged that proceeds from a narcotics trafficking organization were deposited into bank accounts in the United States owned and controlled by Tinubu between 1988 and 1991. The matter was resolved through a civil settlement, with a portion of the funds forfeited to the U.S. government.

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, hired the Washington-based firm in March...