Atiku’s Aide Confirms Submitting Tinubu’s ‘Drug Trafficking Case, $460,000 Forfeiture’ To Trump 

Paul Ibe, an aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that United States President Donald Trump has been made aware of court documents relating to President Bola Tinubu’s alleged past legal records in the US.

Ibe made the claim in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, alleging that Tinubu’s 60-page US Department of Justice files on alleged heroin trafficking and the forfeiture of $460,000 had been brought to Trump’s attention through a US lobbying firm, Batten Von.

According to Ibe, Nigerians deserve to know the full details of the matter.

“Finally, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s @officialABAT 60-page DOJ files on heroine trafficking and forfeiture of $460,000 has been brought to the attention of @realDonaldTrump courtesy of a US lobbyist firm, @batten_von.

“Manuel Noriega on my mind. Nigerians deserve to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The best is being saved for last,” he wrote without providing evidence to support his claim that Trump had been briefed on the documents.

On Tuesday, the Washington-based Von Batten-Montague-York announced that it has begun sharing documents relating to a long-running United States forfeiture case involving President Tinubu with officials of the Donald Trump administration, members of Congress and congressional staff.

The lobbying firm disclosed that it was providing records from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning allegations linked to a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds connected to Tinubu.

The firm was contracted by Atiku, who doubles as African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, in March under a 12-month agreement reportedly valued at $1.2 million. The engagement includes advocacy, diplomatic outreach and efforts to present Atiku’s perspectives on issues relating to Nigeria-US relations.