A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu could be arrested if he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The firm, however, claimed that the Nigerian President could face public embarrassment during his visit to the United States.
In a statement posted on its verified X account on Saturday, Von Batten-Montague-York said there was no plan by US authorities to arrest Tinubu over allegations concerning his past.
“There is no plan to arrest Nigerian President Bola Tinubu over his alleged involvement in heroin smuggling if he attends the United Nations General Assembly this month. Any claim to the contrary is untrue,” the firm stated.
It added, “What is true is that President Tinubu will be embarrassed in New York.”
The lobbying firm also rejected suggestions that Tinubu was expected to meet with US President Donald Trump during the UNGA.
According to the firm, there was no indication of a planned meeting between both leaders either at the White House or on the sidelines of the UN gathering.
Von Batten-Montague-York said allegations surrounding Tinubu’s past in the United States made such a meeting inappropriate.
The firm further repeated its allegations concerning Tinubu’s activities in the US several decades ago, claiming that records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) linked him to a criminal organisation involved in heroin trafficking from Nigeria to the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.
The allegations have previously been connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture case in the United States, in which Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to the US government. The circumstances surrounding the case have remained a subject of political controversy.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it would continue its lobbying efforts in Washington, including engagement with members of the White House and Congress over its claims concerning the Nigerian President.
The firm described Tinubu as an alleged heroin trafficker and argued that the allegations could make him a liability to President Trump and the United States.
The claims by the lobbying firm have not been established as criminal convictions against Tinubu, and the firm’s statements should be understood as allegations rather than proven findings.
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