Atiku’s US Lobby Firm Sends Tinubu’s 1993 Drug Forfeiture Documents To Trump, Congress

A Washington-based lobbying firm hired by the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, says it has started submitting US Department of Justice records on President Bola Tinubu to officials of the Donald Trump administration and members of Congress.

The firm, Batten-Montague-York, L.C, was engaged by Atiku in March under a 12-month, $1.2 million contract, according to The Cable.

The agreement is to strengthen Atiku’s standing in Washington, facilitate meetings with US officials, and counter the Nigerian government’s lobbying efforts.

In a statement on X, the firm said it was providing over 60 pages of DOJ documents relating to allegations of heroin trafficking involving Tinubu in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

It added that many in the US government were previously unaware of the case and that it was ensuring the full court filings, affidavit and related rulings get to Trump’s attention.

The documents centre on United States v. Funds in Account No. 263226700 et al., No. 93 C 4483, a 1993 civil forfeiture case filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to the firm’s chronology, the DOJ alleged that a Nigeria-based heroin network moved white heroin from Nigeria to Chicago, with proceeds deposited into US accounts linked to Tinubu.

The chronology named Tinubu, Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele as persons identified in the case. It stated that Akande was described by the DOJ as the alleged leader of the organisation, and that Agbele was alleged to have sold heroin and later cooperated with investigators.

The case ended in a negotiated settlement where a portion of the funds was forfeited to the United States.

The firm also referenced a 2023 Freedom of Information Act suit filed by journalist Aaron Greenspan seeking records on the matter. It said a US District Court in Washington, D.C. ruled in 2025 that agencies including the FBI and DEA could not issue blanket refusals and must process responsive records. The litigation, it noted, is still ongoing.

The documents are being sent to several House and Senate committees for informational and oversight purposes, the firm said, citing Nigeria’s strategic ties with the US and reports that Tinubu is seeking a meeting with Trump at the upcoming UN General Assembly.