An American firm has told US lawmakers about old drug accusations linked to President Bola Tinubu, asking them to look into official records.
An American political advisory firm named Von Batten Montague York has taken old drug related accusations against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directly to the United States Congress.
The Washington DC group told top US lawmakers and government workers that these old stories are very important and need clear answers from American security agencies.
The group said they began visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington as soon as members of Congress returned from their holiday break.
They also spoke with senior politicians like Virginia Congressman John McGuire and Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales during a political meeting.
Explaining why they took the matter to American lawmakers, the firm shared a message on their official social media page.
They wrote: “Members of Congress and senior congressional staff returned to Washington today, and we wasted no time.” They added: “Our message was clear: these allegations are not merely a Nigerian domestic political matter.”
The group explained that the old stories about President Tinubu were connected to a big drug investigation in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
During that time, American police agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the tax office looked into a group selling hard drugs called heroin around Chicago.
According to official court papers in Washington, American courts recently reviewed requests asking police agencies to open hidden records about that investigation.
Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court decided that security agencies could no longer keep hiding all their records by refusing to say whether documents existed or not.
The court noted that earlier public documents had already shown that an investigation happened.
The US lobbying group argues that American leaders need to know what is inside those file cabinets. They say it touches on how the United States works together with Nigeria on security, sharing secret information, and fighting international drug crime.
The firm asked US leaders to check whether keeping close ties with the Nigerian leader helps or hurts American national security interests.
Official court records clearly mention Tinubu among people named in document requests, but lawyers and observers stress that an investigation does not mean someone is guilty of a crime.
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The US court judgment only talked about releasing public records and did not say President Tinubu committed any crime.
In addition, reports from political analysts show that the lobbying group believes these old files could raise legal questions for Tinubu after he finishes his term as president, though US prosecutors have not announced any formal criminal charges against him.
President Bola Tinubu and his political party, the All Progressives Congress, have repeatedly said that he never did anything wrong.
They have pointed out many times that he was never charged or convicted of any drug crime in America or anywhere else in the world.
For now, American lawmakers have been given the documents, while people wait to see if US security agencies will open more files to the public.
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.
