BREAKING: U.S Republican Firm Rejects $3m Offer, VIP London Meeting to End Case on Tinubu’s Alleged Heroin-Trafficking Records, Plans to Present Files to Congress

A Washington, D.C.-based Republican policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has claimed it rejected an unsolicited offer of $3 million and an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, which it said was made by a highly placed individual allegedly connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The firm said the offer was an attempt to persuade its founder, Dr. Von Batten, to halt its campaign concerning records and allegations relating to Tinubu’s alleged involvement in heroin trafficking during the 1980s and 1990s.

The claims were made in a statement posted on the firm’s official X account on Wednesday.

According to the firm, Dr. Von Batten received the offer without soliciting it and subsequently preserved copies of the communications.

“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.

“We believe these offers were an attempt to persuade Dr. Von Batten to end our campaign concerning President Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records.”

The firm said Dr. Von Batten rejected the offer and contacted associates of former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign to establish the nature of the alleged individual’s relationship with Tinubu.

It further claimed that a smear campaign against its founder began shortly after the offer was rejected.

Von Batten-Montague-York said it intends to provide the alleged $3 million offer and related communications to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.

“We will be providing the $3 million offer and related communications to our friends at the Justice Department and FBI to protect our reputation and allow the appropriate authorities to review the matter,” the firm said.

The lobbying firm then addressed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their associates, saying: “Thank you for the offer, but no thanks.”

Firm Takes Tinubu Allegations to Capitol Hill

In a separate statement, the firm said it had also begun engaging members of the U.S. Congress and senior congressional staff over a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case connected to records concerning the allegations against Tinubu.

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

It said it immediately began reaching out to contacts on Capitol Hill to brief them on the matter.

According to the firm, its discussions with U.S. lawmakers and congressional staff focused on allegations that Tinubu was involved in heroin trafficking during the 1980s and 1990s.

The firm argued that the matter should not be viewed solely through the lens of Nigerian domestic politics, claiming that any credible records could have implications for U.S. national security and law-enforcement interests.

It cited areas including intelligence sharing, counter-narcotics cooperation and broader U.S.-Nigeria relations as matters that could potentially attract Washington’s attention.

The firm also questioned the implications of the allegations for Nigeria-U.S. strategic relations, particularly amid what it described as Washington’s reassessment of its partnerships across Africa.

It said U.S. policymakers should consider whether Tinubu remains a strategic partner for the United States or could become a national-security concern.

The allegations contained in the firm’s statements have not been independently established in the material provided, and the claims regarding the alleged $3 million offer and the identity or relationship of the person who purportedly made it remain allegations by the firm.

Editor’s Note: This report is based solely on publicly reported information and a statement published by the firm. No quotations have been invented or independently attributed. Where responses from the Nigerian Presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC), or Mr. Atiku Abubakar’s campaign would ordinarily be included, they have been omitted because no such responses were available in the material reviewed. The claims contained in the report remain unconfirmed and should not be taken as established facts. News Week Nigeria will await and publish any response from the Presidency or other parties named in the allegations.