A Washington, D.C.-based Republican policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has taken allegations linking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heroin trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s to members of the United States Congress.
The firm disclosed this in a statement posted on its verified X account on Wednesday.
It said it had begun engaging members of Congress and senior congressional staff over a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case involving records related to the allegations.
The lobbying firm said the issue should not be treated solely as a domestic Nigerian political matter, arguing that it could have implications for US national security, law enforcement cooperation, intelligence sharing and counter-narcotics efforts.
It also raised questions about the possible impact of the allegations on relations between the United States and Nigeria as Washington reviews its strategic partnerships in Africa.
The firm urged US policymakers to consider whether Tinubu represents a strategic asset or a potential national security liability.
The allegations date back to events in the 1980s and 1990s and have previously been linked to a US civil forfeiture case and subsequent litigation over the release of government records.
Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress have consistently denied wrongdoing. The allegations do not amount to a conviction, and Tinubu has not been convicted of heroin trafficking.
