Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spent millions of dollars to prevent the release of records linked to an alleged drug trafficking case involving him, contradicting his public claim that he was not blocking their disclosure. The firm made the allegation in a post on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, stating that Tinubu had petitioned the court and consulted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act case.
"Despite claiming innocence, Tinubu has spent millions of dollars to ensure that his drug trafficking records are never released," the firm stated. Von Batten-Montague-York further alleged that President Tinubu's legal team had actively participated in efforts to block the release of the records, which are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite. Greenspan filed multiple FOIA requests with US federal agencies seeking documents connected to investigations into a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s.
The firm's latest allegation comes amid a protracted legal battle over the records. In April 2025, the US Department of Justice officially acknowledged the FBI and DEA's involvement in investigations of Tinubu. A court filing noted that "there is probable cause to believe that funds in certain bank accounts controlled by Bola Tinubu were involved in financial transactions in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957 and represent proceeds of drug trafficking". The case details Tinubu's involvement in laundering money for a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s and notes that he was repeatedly interviewed by the FBI.
In August 2026, US District Judge Beryl A. Howell set a deadline for the government and Tinubu to respond to the FOIA requests. President Tinubu formally joined the US Department of Justice's request for a 10-day extension in the legal battle, though the judge rejected the full extension request and set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for responses. The FBI has also asked the court for permission to submit a confidential declaration explaining why it is withholding some records relating to the allegations, citing concerns that disclosure could endanger lives.
The records being sought concern a federal narcotics investigation from the early 1990s. While US court records show that $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu was forfeited to the US government in a civil forfeiture proceeding, Tinubu has not been criminally charged or convicted of drug trafficking in the United States in relation to the case. The President has consistently denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations that he was involved in drug trafficking.
Von Batten-Montague-York had earlier vowed that there would be no cover-up regarding the records. The firm also noted that the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden had fought the release of the FOIA records concerning drug-trafficking allegations involving Tinubu. The firm's latest allegation that Tinubu spent millions to block the records' release adds a new dimension to the controversy, as the legal battle over the disclosure of the documents continues in the US courts.
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