A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that it was offered $3 million to abandon its campaign over allegations linking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a decades-old heroin-trafficking investigation.
The firm made the claim on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in a statement posted on its verified X account, saying its leader, Dr Von Batten, rejected the alleged offer and preserved records of the exchanges.
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According to the firm, the alleged offer came with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London from an unnamed “highly placed individual” whom it said it had been informed was connected to President Tinubu.
“A few days ago, Dr Von Batten received unsolicited offers of $3 million, along with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, from a highly placed individual whom we have been informed is connected to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu,” the firm said.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it believed the offer was intended to persuade Dr Von Batten to end the firm’s campaign concerning what it described as Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records.
The firm said it subsequently contacted members of the African Democratic Congress campaign of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to establish the alleged individual’s relationship with Tinubu.
It further claimed that a smear campaign against Dr Von Batten began after the alleged offer was rejected.
The firm said it would provide copies of the alleged $3 million offer and related communications to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.
“We have a simple message for President Tinubu, Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, and their associates. Thank you for the offer, but no thanks,” the firm stated.
The allegation comes amid an increasingly contentious Freedom of Information Act case in the United States involving records sought from American law enforcement agencies over the long-running allegations concerning Tinubu.
A sworn FBI declaration filed on August 28 in a US federal court has confirmed that Tinubu was a subject of a criminal investigation involving the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration in the early 1990s, according to excerpts of the filing published by the lobbying firm.
However, the existence of an investigation or law enforcement records does not establish that Tinubu committed a crime.
The current litigation concerns access to government records and whether information held by US agencies should be released under FOIA.
The FBI has previously asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to allow it to submit confidential material explaining why some records are being withheld.
The court subsequently permitted private, in-camera review of the material.
Tinubu has also joined the US Department of Justice’s request for additional time in the FOIA proceedings, according to reports on the case.
His legal team has opposed further disclosure of some records.
Von Batten-Montague-York has become a prominent voice in the campaign for disclosure of the records and has been linked to Atiku Abubakar, who is seeking the presidency under the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The firm previously disclosed that it had been retained by Atiku under a $1.2 million, 12-month lobbying agreement and has used its Washington presence to draw attention to the Tinubu-related records in the United States.
The allegations have attracted a strong response from the Nigerian presidency. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has described statements from the lobbying firm as politically motivated and rejected attempts to portray its claims as official positions of the US government.
The latest $3 million allegation has not been independently established in the available public record, and the identity of the person alleged to have made the offer has not been disclosed.
The firm, however, says it has retained copies of the communications and intends to hand them to US authorities, potentially giving investigators an opportunity to examine the allegation.
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The development adds another dramatic layer to the growing dispute over the sealed and partially withheld US records concerning Tinubu, with the FOIA case continuing to attract political attention in both Nigeria and the United States.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
