A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spent millions of dollars to prevent the release of records related to historical investigations involving him.
The firm made the allegation in a post on X on Tuesday, amid an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) legal battle involving records held by US law-enforcement agencies.
According to the firm, Tinubu’s legal team had challenged the release of the documents and engaged with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over the matter.
The firm claimed the development contradicted assertions that the Nigerian president was not seeking to prevent the records from being made public.
It alleged that, “Despite claiming innocence, Tinubu has spent millions of dollars to ensure that his drug trafficking records are never released.”
The firm further argued that although the underlying proceedings were civil in nature, the involvement of US law-enforcement agencies suggested that the dispute involved sensitive investigative records.
The allegations come amid renewed attention to a legal dispute over records held by the US Department of Justice, the FBI, and the DEA relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu.
However, the claims by the firm remain allegations and do not, by themselves, establish that Tinubu committed any drug-related offence or personally spent the alleged amount.
The ongoing FOIA proceedings centre on whether certain government records should be released, with legal arguments focusing on the nature and sensitivity of the documents and applicable US disclosure laws.
The development is expected to further intensify political debate in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
