NEWS
U.S Lobbying Firm Hints at Video Evidence in Alleged Tinubu Drug Case, Says Files Will Eventually Be Released
A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has hinted that it will present video evidence in its ongoing efforts concerning records linked to an alleged drug-trafficking case involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The firm disclosed this in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Monday, September 7, 2026, saying it was taking steps to introduce a video transcript as additional evidence before a United States court.
The development comes amid an ongoing legal and public dispute over access to records held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) relating to Tinubu and an earlier Chicago-based case.
Von Batten-Montague-York said the video could have significant implications for arguments surrounding President Tinubu’s attempt to invoke privacy protections over the records. The firm suggested that the footage could undermine claims that the information contained in the FBI and DEA files should remain shielded from public disclosure.
“We are amending our Supplemental Notice of Evidentiary Exhibits to the US court to include the attached video transcript. The video is really extraordinary.
“At an All Progressives Congress, APC, political event, Mr Adewale Tinubu, President Tinubu’s reported nephew, said, “I did that case in Chicago. It was one of my first legal matters,“ and described personally urging Tinubu to settle.
“Yet the official court record identifies Patrick S. Coffey, Esq. as the attorney representing President Tinubu in that case.
“No court appearance, pleading, signature, or other filing identifies Mr Adewale Tinubu as counsel in the proceeding. Not a single record.
“Why does this matter? First, court records show that Mr Adewale Tinubu’s account is false. Second, the video shows, in real time, the falsification of established facts to deceive the Nigerian public. Facts President Tinubu now claims are private.
“Third, President Tinubu is asking the court to protect his alleged heroin-trafficking records from the public. Yet his own nephew publicly discussed the Chicago proceeding at a political campaign event while Tinubu was present.
“President Tinubu cannot have it both ways. US courts have long recognized that voluntary public disclosure can diminish the privacy interest that Exemption 7(C) protects.
“The FBI and DEA must come to the realization that President Tinubu is a liability and that his alleged drug-trafficking records are just another Epstein file.
“Whether under the current Republican administration or a future Democrat administration, those files will eventually be released to the public,” the firm tweeted.
The firm’s argument centres on whether information that has already been publicly discussed can subsequently be shielded from disclosure under privacy provisions applicable to US law-enforcement records.
At the heart of the dispute are FBI and DEA records concerning Tinubu and allegations surrounding a Chicago case dating back several decades. The claims have remained politically contentious in Nigeria, particularly because of Tinubu’s prominent role in national politics and his emergence as president.
Von Batten-Montague-York’s latest statement indicates that it intends to rely not only on documentary material but also on audiovisual evidence to support its position before the US court.
The firm specifically pointed to comments allegedly made by Adewale Tinubu at an APC political event, arguing that the statements conflict with the official court documentation it referenced.
According to the firm, the discrepancy is significant because it could be used to challenge the extent to which privacy protections should apply to information already discussed publicly.
The lobbying firm further argued that the presence of President Tinubu at the political event, where the alleged comments were made, strengthens its contention that the matter cannot simply be treated as private information.
Its position, however, remains an argument advanced by the firm in the ongoing legal dispute and does not by itself establish the underlying allegations against President Tinubu as fact.
The latest intervention is expected to add another layer to the controversy surrounding efforts to obtain the FBI and DEA records, with the firm maintaining that the documents could ultimately become public regardless of which political party controls the White House.
Von Batten-Montague-York’s assertion that the records will eventually be released also signals its determination to continue pursuing the matter through the US legal system.