A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has warned President Bola Tinubu that he could face embarrassment if he attends the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month.
This was just as the firm also claimed that Tinubu’s efforts to secure a private meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UNGA would not succeed.
In a post on its verified X account on Monday, the firm alleged that senior officials in the Trump administration had made it clear that Trump would not hold a private meeting with Tinubu over what it described as allegations linking the Nigerian president to heroin trafficking.
The firm noted that Tinubu, as Nigeria’s president, would be able to travel to New York and attend the UNGA under the access and transit protections applicable to representatives of UN member states.
“We look forward to President Tinubu attending the UNGA next month. Unfortunately for President Tinubu, he is going to be embarrassed at the UN,” the firm said.
Von Batten-Montague-York further claimed that world leaders attending the UNGA would be aware of the allegations against Tinubu.
“From reports we have seen, from South Africa to Italy, world leaders attending the UNGA will be fully aware of the heroin-trafficking allegations against President Tinubu,” it alleged.
The firm also threatened to launch an advocacy campaign around the UN headquarters if authorised to do so.
“If we are authorised, we will put into operation our plan to ensure every New Yorker within a six-mile radius of UN Headquarters learns about President Tinubu’s alleged role in smuggling poison (heroin) onto American soil,” it said.
The latest warning comes amid an ongoing legal battle in the United States over records relating to an old investigation reportedly linked to Tinubu.
Von Batten-Montague-York had earlier announced that a new development had occurred in a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking the release of records allegedly connected to the investigation.
The firm said Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia had granted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) permission to submit certain documents to the court privately for an in-camera review.
According to the firm, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Tinubu were given until August 28, 2026, to file their opposition to the release of the records.
The firm interpreted the court’s use of the phrase “and no later” as an indication that the court had reached the limit of extensions in the matter.
It said the FBI would now have to persuade the court why the documents should remain undisclosed, including by submitting sensitive materials privately for judicial examination.
The lobbying firm further claimed that the FBI had acknowledged possessing sensitive information relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving Tinubu.
It also alleged that the records could contain information concerning criminal informants, arguing that this would challenge previous descriptions of the matter as being solely related to civil forfeiture.
However, the firm acknowledged that the court development had not yet been published on the official docket at the time of its post.
“This has not yet been published on the court docket as of this evening, and the claim is based solely on the law firm’s X post,” the firm stated.
CityNews Nigeria understands that Von Batten-Montague-York was contracted by former vice president and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in March under a 12-month agreement reportedly valued at $1.2 million.
The engagement includes advocacy, diplomatic outreach and efforts to present Atiku’s perspectives on issues relating to Nigeria-US relations.
