A Washington-based lobbying firm retained by former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has announced it is authorized to file a $36 million federal lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu and Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, over alleged threats of kidnapping and physical harm, Peak Newspaper reports.
The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., said in a statement on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, that it has been “cleared and authorized” to proceed with the action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
It described the claims as arising from threats made by Fani-Kayode against its founder and managing partner, Dr. Karl Von Batten, which it characterizes as part of an alleged organized criminal conspiracy involving the Nigerian Presidency.
The complaint is expected to rely on District of Columbia tort law, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Specific provisions cited include 28 U.S.C. § 1605B (addressing certain international-terrorism claims against foreign states) and 18 U.S.C. §§ 2331 and 2333 (providing civil remedies for U.S. nationals).
The firm noted that the case against Tinubu will test the limits of FSIA and head-of-state immunity while he remains in office.
The lawsuit announcement marks a sharp escalation in a months-long confrontation centered on the firm’s efforts to publicize and seek fuller disclosure of decades-old U.S. records related to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding.
In that Chicago case (United States v. Funds in Account No. 263226700 et al.), the U.S. Department of Justice sought forfeiture of approximately $460,000 from bank accounts linked to Tinubu and others, in connection with an investigation into a heroin trafficking organization operating between Nigeria and the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Tinubu was not charged criminally, arrested, or convicted in the matter, which was resolved administratively; Nigerian courts and the Tinubu administration have repeatedly emphasized its civil nature.
Von Batten-Montague-York was retained by Atiku Abubakar in March 2026 under a reported 12-month Foreign Agents Registration Act contract valued at $1.2 million.
The firm’s stated objectives include strengthening Atiku’s reputational standing in the United States and countering Nigerian government narratives ahead of the 2027 elections.
It has circulated more than 60 pages of DOJ records, court filings, and related materials to members of the Trump administration, congressional offices, and staff, and has engaged with an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Greenspan v. Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys et al.) seeking additional FBI and DEA records.
The firm has also previously alleged that Von Batten received an unsolicited $3 million offer (plus an invitation to a confidential London meeting) from a highly placed individual described as connected to Tinubu, which it says was rejected and preserved for referral to U.S. authorities. Nigerian officials have dismissed such claims as political speculation.
On September 20, 2026, the firm publicly alleged that Fani-Kayode had threatened to kidnap and physically harm Von Batten. It stated it had begun briefing the U.S. Department of State and forwarded a report to the FBI, framing the matter as potential “transnational repression” tactics by foreign governments to intimidate, threaten, or coerce individuals beyond their borders. The firm initially indicated it was preparing to sue the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Fani-Kayode.
Fani-Kayode responded publicly, denying any interest in killing or kidnapping Von Batten.
In a statement, he described the claims as a “figment of (Von Batten’s) wild and fanciful imagination,” rooted in a tweet he posted, and accused the lobbyist of spreading defamatory falsehoods about the Nigerian government while being paid by Atiku.
He emphasized that Nigeria operates under the rule of law and challenged the firm’s portrayal of the 1993 case. Earlier exchanges had seen Fani-Kayode question Von Batten’s credentials, identity, and motives, and reject related allegations.
The Nigerian Presidency has separately clarified that the related FOIA litigation is a civil records-disclosure dispute, not a criminal case against Tinubu, and that neither Von Batten nor Atiku is a party to those proceedings. Officials have accused the firm of inaccurately centering itself in the matter for political purposes.
