Femi Fani Kayode threatens to sue US lobbyist Karl Von Batten for $100M over false kidnap claims.
A major disagreement has started between Nigeria’s diplomat to South Africa, Chief Femi Fani Kayode, and an American lobbyist named Karl Von Batten.
Fani Kayode has threatened to take the American worker to a big court in the United States to demand at least $100M.
He stated that he wants this money because the lobbyist lied about him and tried to destroy his good name in public. He also said he will ask the government to bring the lobbyist from America to Nigeria so he can face trial for breaking internet crime laws.
This big argument started inside the city of Washington in the United States and spread to Nigeria when Karl Von Batten and his company announced that they were preparing a $36 million lawsuit against Fani-Kayode and the Nigerian presidency.
The American lobbyist claimed that Fani-Kayode made serious threats to kidnap him and cause physical harm to his body.
He also claimed that the alleged threats were connected to his work for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, where he has been asking United States authorities to release old official papers about President Bola Tinubu.
Fani-Kayode quickly replied to the American lobbyist by making a public statement to explain that all those bad allegations are completely false.
He clearly challenged Karl Von Batten to present any clear proof or written message that shows he ever planned to harm anyone.
Fani Kayode insisted that neither he, President Bola Tinubu, nor the government of Nigeria would ever plan to kidnap or kill opposition figures or foreign workers.
Explaining why he was angry about the bad accusations, Fani-Kayode warned the lobbyist to show proof to the public immediately.
Refusing the bad claims made against him, Fani-Kayode said, “I again challenge you to provide the evidence of these threats from me, the President and the Federal Government & MAKE THEM PUBLIC”.
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Showing how serious he is about starting a massive court fight in America, Fani-Kayode stated, “Rest assured that you will be hearing from my lawyers soon, and I will be demanding at least 100 million USD for your libellous falsehood & vicious slander against my person in a duly constituted court of law in the United States of America“.
Promising to also bring the American worker to face justice inside Nigeria, Fani-Kayode added, “I will also seek your lawful extradition from America to come and answer for your numerous violations of our Cybercrime laws & criminal defamation before a duly constituted court of law here in Nigeria”.
Sending a final strong warning that he will no longer talk on social media, Fani-Kayode concluded, “You have been put on notice. From now on it is lawyer to lawyer. See you in court”.
The whole trouble began because Karl Von Batten was hired by political opponent Atiku Abubakar under a 12 month agreement to lobby in the United States.
The lobbyist was pushing American agencies to publish old court documents concerning past drug allegations against President Bola Tinubu.
Fani-Kayode explained that President Tinubu was never convicted or indicted by any court for drug crimes. Because the lobbyist continued to spread those claims, Fani-Kayode decided to end all social media discussions and let legal teams handle everything.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
