By Stephen Simon
A US-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has declared that there should be no attempt to conceal records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The firm made its position known in a statement shared on X on Tuesday, accusing the administration of former US President Joe Biden of resisting efforts to release Freedom of Information Act records connected to the allegations.
According to the firm, the US Department of Justice under President Donald Trump would not shield anyone accused of involvement in heroin trafficking, particularly allegations linking the movement of heroin from Nigeria through Illinois to Indiana.
Von Batten-Montague-York also criticised the Biden-era Justice Department for what it described as a decision to pursue Trump while simultaneously opposing the disclosure of records concerning Tinubu.
The firm praised President Trump, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, members of his administration and lawmakers in Congress who, it said, supported the release of the records instead of continuing what it described as the previous administration’s approach.
The controversy centres on federal records concerning allegations against Tinubu, which have been the subject of requests for disclosure under the FOIA.
The development comes after US District Judge Beryl Howell granted Pirro, a Trump-appointed US attorney, an additional four days to release the requested records relating to the matter.
Von Batten-Montague-York said it remained committed to ensuring that the records are made public and that no individual would receive protection from scrutiny over the allegations.
