NEWS
US-Based Firm Raises Fresh Questions Over Alleged Tinubu–US Embassy Letter
A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has raised fresh questions over the authenticity of a purported letter from the US Embassy in Nigeria that was circulated in connection with President Bola Tinubu’s records in the United States.
The firm alleged that Tinubu and some of his associates may have forged the document, which purportedly commended the Nigerian president for his efforts in tackling insecurity.
Von Batten-Montague-York made the allegation in a statement published on its verified X handle on Wednesday, amid renewed public attention on Tinubu’s historical records in the United States and an ongoing legal battle over the release of documents held by US federal agencies.
The controversy followed the circulation of a letter said to have been issued through the US Embassy in Nigeria. The document was referenced by Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri, in an effort to defend Tinubu against claims and questions surrounding his records in the United States.
However, the US-based firm questioned the credibility of the purported correspondence, highlighting what it described as multiple glaring spelling, grammatical and formatting errors that, in its view, were unusual for an official communication from a US government institution.
Among the errors identified in the document were the use of “czheck” instead of “check” and “maitatins” instead of “maintains.”
The firm also drew attention to the phrase “it’s territories,” arguing that the grammatically correct form should be “its territories.” Another sentence flagged by the firm was, “The result of the checks were negative,” which it said should instead read “The result of the check was negative.”
Other expressions highlighted included “nor information of your department” and “contact me direct,” with the latter expected to read “contact me directly.”
According to the firm, the accumulation of such errors raised substantial doubts about whether the document genuinely originated from the US Embassy or another official US government institution.
The development comes against the backdrop of heightened scrutiny of Tinubu’s historical records in the United States, particularly following legal proceedings seeking access to records held by US federal agencies.
Omokri had recently argued that Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, records relating to Tinubu should not automatically be regarded as criminal records, stressing that ordinary FBI records should be distinguished from records specifically classified as criminal.
He also referred to a purported letter from the FBI transmitted through the US Embassy in Lagos to the Nigerian government as part of his argument.
The US-based firm, however, called for independent verification of the purported correspondence before it could be accepted as an authentic US government document.
It further warned that if the document was ultimately established to be fabricated and had been presented as an official communication from the US government, those responsible could potentially face serious legal consequences under US law.
In its statement, the firm wrote:
“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his associates are, as expected, spreading stories and documents to cloud the matter. For example, the letter below is alleged by President Tinubu’s associate Reno Omokri to be from the US Embassy in Nigeria.
“If authentic, given the recent admission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, it raises questions about whether a US agency provided inaccurate information.
“But a close examination raises questions about the letter’s authenticity. It contains glaring spelling and grammatical errors.
“Given these errors, we find it very difficult to accept this letter as authentic without independent verification. Dear President Tinubu and associates: if this document is not authentic, presenting a fabricated document as an official US government communication is a serious matter and may have legal consequences under US law,” the firm tweeted.
The allegation adds another layer to the increasingly heated debate surrounding Tinubu’s US records, with questions over the authenticity of documents now becoming part of the wider political and legal controversy.
However, the firm’s claims remain allegations, and the authenticity of the purported letter would ultimately require independent confirmation from the US Embassy or another competent US government authority.