US Firm Takes Tinubu Heroin Allegations To Congress, Raises Security Concerns

A Republican policy advisory and lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C., has taken allegations involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and alleged heroin trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s to members of the United States Congress, Naija News understands.

Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., disclosed this in a statement posted on its verified 𝕏 account on Wednesday.

The firm said it had begun engaging members of Congress and senior congressional staff following developments surrounding a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case connected to the allegations against the Nigerian President.

According to the firm, members of Congress and senior congressional aides returned to Washington on Wednesday, after which it immediately began discussions with contacts on Capitol Hill.

“Members of Congress and senior congressional staff returned to Washington today, and we wasted no time,” the firm said.

It added that it had “immediately began reaching out to our friends on Capitol Hill” to brief them on the matter.

The lobbying firm said its discussions centred on what it described as allegations of heroin trafficking involving Tinubu during the 1980s and 1990s.

It argued that the issue should not be viewed solely through the lens of Nigerian domestic politics, given the potential implications for the United States.

“Our message was clear: these allegations are not merely a Nigerian domestic political matter,” the firm stated.

Von Batten-Montague-York said the allegations could raise concerns for American policymakers in areas including national security, law enforcement cooperation, intelligence sharing and counter-narcotics operations.

The firm also questioned what the development could mean for relations between Washington and Abuja, particularly at a time when the United States is reassessing its strategic partnerships across Africa.

It urged US policymakers to consider the broader implications of their relationship with the Nigerian government in light of the allegations.

It wrote: “Nigerian President Bola Tinubu @officialABAT is Public Enemy Number 1 of the United States who has successfully escaped justice. According to @TheJusticeDept, @FBI, and @DEAHQ, Nigerian President Bola #Tinubu was allegedly part of a criminal organization in the 1980s and 1990s that smuggled heroin from Nigeria into the United States.

“We will never know how many innocent Americans died as a result of Nigerian President #Tinubu’s alleged #heroin trafficking. What we do know is that the DOJ under President @JoeBiden fought to keep records concerning President Tinubu’s alleged crimes from being released.”

“Call your Member of #Congress. Ask Congress to protect American families and children from alleged foreign drug traffickers like #Nigerian President Bola #Tinubu,” it added.

The firm specifically questioned “whether President Tinubu represents a strategic asset or an increasing national-security liability.”

Naija News reports that the allegations referenced by the firm have previously been the subject of public and legal scrutiny in the United States.

However, the Nigerian leader and his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have denied wrongdoing and insisted that Tinubu has not been convicted of heroin trafficking.