Von Batten Montague York, L.C. says it has reported an alleged $3 million offer involving its founder, Dr. Von Batten, to the U.S. Department of Justice and handed over screenshots of the communications as the bitter dispute over Nigerian President Bola Tinubu continues to intensify.
In a September 3 statement, the lobbying firm said it reported the incident earlier that day as a precaution and to protect the reputation of its founder and the firm.
The firm said the decision was driven by several factors, including the amount of money involved, a proposed confidential meeting in London and a request that the parties communicate through disappearing messages.
Von Batten Montague York said those circumstances made it important to preserve the evidence and bring the matter to the attention of U.S. authorities.
The reported offer follows an earlier statement from the firm claiming that Dr. Von Batten received an unsolicited offer of $3 million and an invitation to a private meeting in London from a highly placed individual whom the firm had been told was connected to Tinubu.
The firm said it believed the offer was intended to persuade its founder to end the campaign concerning historical U.S. records linked to allegations of heroin trafficking involving Tinubu.
Dr. Von Batten reportedly rejected the offer.
According to the lobbying firm, its founder immediately preserved copies of the exchanges after refusing the proposal.
The firm also said it contacted members of the campaign of former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar to establish the alleged connection between the individual who made the offer and Tinubu.
Von Batten Montague York later claimed that a smear campaign against Dr. Von Batten began shortly after the offer was rejected.
The firm has now taken the matter to the U.S. Justice Department, providing screenshots of the communications for possible review.
The firm said it would leave it to the Justice Department to determine whether the communications justify further examination.
The report to U.S. authorities adds another major development to the increasingly public dispute between the lobbying firm and Tinubu’s political circle.
Von Batten Montague York has been campaigning for the release of historical U.S. government records concerning allegations involving Tinubu and alleged heroin trafficking during the 1980s and 1990s.
The firm has argued that the issue is not simply a Nigerian political dispute because Tinubu is now the president of a country that is an important U.S. partner in West Africa.
It has raised questions about the possible implications for law enforcement cooperation, intelligence sharing, counternarcotics efforts and U.S. national security.
The firm has also taken its campaign to Washington, saying it has been engaging members of Congress and senior congressional staff about its Freedom of Information Act case.
The latest development puts a reported $3 million offer at the center of the dispute and gives U.S. authorities an opportunity to examine the communications for themselves.
However, the Justice Department has not been reported as having opened an investigation into the alleged offer, and the firm’s statement does not say that any determination has been made by federal authorities.
Von Batten Montague York also confirmed that it will continue representing the interests of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar before the White House and Congress.
The firm’s work for Atiku adds a political dimension to the dispute because Atiku remains a major political opponent of Tinubu in Nigeria.
The latest statement makes clear that the lobbying firm does not intend to abandon its Washington campaign despite the growing controversy.
For now, the firm says it has preserved the communications, submitted them to the Justice Department and will allow U.S. authorities to decide whether the matter requires further action.
The alleged $3 million offer, the proposed London meeting and the reported request to use disappearing messages are now part of a dispute that has moved beyond social media and into the attention of U.S. federal authorities.
