A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu has spent millions of dollars in an attempt to prevent the release of records linked to an alleged drug trafficking investigation.
The firm made the claim in a post published on its verified X account on Tuesday, amid an ongoing legal dispute over documents reportedly held by United States law enforcement agencies.
According to the firm, Tinubu’s assertion that he was not seeking to prevent the release of the records is at odds with actions taken by his legal representatives in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case.
It alleged that Tinubu had petitioned the court and engaged with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in connection with efforts to keep the records from being made public.
“Despite claiming innocence, Tinubu has spent millions of dollars to ensure that his drug trafficking records are never released,” the firm alleged.
Von Batten-Montague-York further argued that the involvement of US law enforcement agencies in the records dispute suggested that the underlying matter contained sensitive investigative information, despite being described in court as a civil case.
The latest claim comes as litigation continues over requests for the release of historical records concerning investigations involving Tinubu and held by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI and DEA.
In the ongoing proceedings, United States District Judge Beryl Howell granted additional time to Donald Trump-appointed US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to respond to the request for the release of the documents.
Tinubu had previously joined the US Department of Justice in seeking a 10-day extension to respond to a motion demanding the disclosure of records related to allegations of drug trafficking.
The allegations made by the lobbying firm remain part of an ongoing legal dispute over access to the records.
