Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., the US lobbying firm holding a $1.2 million contract with opposition figure Atiku Abubakar, claims it possesses 399 pages of records linking President Bola Tinubu to a heroin investigation and a $460,000 forfeiture case from the 1990s . The firm has threatened to mount a public campaign against Tinubu during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, alleging he will be embarrassed if he attends .
The lobbying group has also claimed that Tinubu’s planned meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UNGA will not happen because, according to them, “key members of the Trump Administration have made it clear that President Trump is not going to meet privately with an alleged heroin trafficker” . The firm says it will ensure world leaders learn of the allegations during the September 8-28 gathering .
Reno Omokri, an ambassador designate and a supporter of Tinubu, has dismissed the allegations as misleading, insisting the files hold no criminal evidence against the president . Omokri, who says he travelled to Chicago in 2022 to investigate the claims, maintains that Tinubu has no criminal record in the US or anywhere else . He has cited a 2003 US Embassy clearance that, according to him, absolved the then-Governor of Lagos of any wrongdoing .
The records in question stem from an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that is being reviewed privately by a US federal judge . Omokri has argued that the presence of a person’s name in an FBI database does not constitute a criminal record, as the agency maintains extensive non-criminal files on US citizens, residents and foreign nationals .
Von Batten-Montague-York was hired by Atiku in March 2026 for $1.2 million to project his influence within US policy circles, arrange meetings with US officials, and counterbalance the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives . The firm’s contract includes “perception management” and “reputational advisory services” .
The winners: Atiku’s lobbying firm, which has generated headlines; and the Nigerian public, who are watching the drama unfold. The losers: President Tinubu, who faces renewed scrutiny over decades-old allegations; and the Nigerian government, which must manage the diplomatic fallout.
Bottom Line: A lobbying firm hired by Atiku is threatening to embarrass Tinubu at the UN over allegations that have never led to criminal charges. The records are under seal. The UNGA is approaching. The question is whether this is a political ambush or just a media stunt.