American Firm Claims FBI Has Tinubu Phone Call Recordings From 1990s On Alleged Drug Trafficking Crimes
A United States-based Republican advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) possesses wiretap recordings responsive to President Bola Tinubu in connection with a past investigation involving alleged heroin trafficking
The firm made the claim in a statement published on its verified X account on Thursday while commenting on an FBI filing before a US court. According to Von Batten-Montague-York, the FBI asked the court to prevent the disclosure of what it described as highly sensitive wiretap material contained in records responsive to a request concerning Tinubu.
The firm said the FBI filing indicates that the wiretap-related records were compiled as part of an investigation into multiple individuals over alleged heroin-trafficking crimes.
“ In our plain-English reading of the document, the FBI has Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on tape connected to heroin-trafficking crimes,” the firm stated.
It further argued that the FBI relied on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemption 3 and provisions of federal law governing Title III wiretaps, specifically 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510–2520, to withhold information that could reveal the identities of people targeted for interception or information obtained through the wiretaps.
The lobbying firm also questioned the FBI’s privacy argument, citing a section of the agency’s filing which it said stated that privacy concerns are typically reduced once an individual is deceased.
The firm acknowledged that part of its interpretation was speculative, stating that it believed Tinubu was the only targeted individual in the case whom it considered to be alive. “We truly hope that the court puts aside the FBI’s argument and orders the release of the wiretap material,” the firm said.
It added that if Tinubu appeared on recordings connected to heroin trafficking, the American and Nigerian public, the US Congress and the Donald Trump administration should be allowed to know what the recordings contain.
The statement comes amid ongoing legal and public interest surrounding US government records relating to Tinubu and allegations concerning his activities in the United States during the 1990s. However, the latest claim by Von Batten-Montague-York does not, by itself, establish that Tinubu participated in heroin trafficking or that he appears on recordings discussing or facilitating such crimes.
The firm’s statement is an interpretation of the FBI’s court filing, and any allegation linking the Nigerian president to criminal conduct would require confirmation from the court records or other authoritative evidence.
Tinubu has previously denied allegations linking him to drug trafficking and has maintained that he has never been involved in such criminal activity. The dispute over the requested records is expected to continue as the US court considers whether the FBI can lawfully withhold the sensitive material.