A Washington-based lobbying firm retained by Nigerian opposition figure Atiku Abubakar has filed a $57 million lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian government, envoy Femi Fani-Kayode and U.S. consultancy DCI Group, alleging defamation and a conspiracy to kidnap and harm its founder, the firm said.
Von Batten-Montague-York said in a statement on Monday that the complaint was lodged on Sept. 28 at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The filing was kept private until the defendants, including foreign parties, could be formally served, the firm said.
The firm is seeking $36 million jointly from Tinubu and the Nigerian government, $3 million from Fani-Kayode and $18 million from DCI Group. It acknowledged that claims against a sitting head of state and a foreign government face legal obstacles under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, but said it intended to press ahead.
The firm said the case arose from efforts to silence its advocacy over U.S. federal records relating to Tinubu. Its founder, Karl Von Batten, was not independently identified as a plaintiff in the firm’s statement, which did not release court filings. Reuters could not independently verify the allegations or review the complaint.
Neither Tinubu’s office nor the Nigerian government has publicly responded to the filing. DCI Group did not immediately comment.
Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, said last month he would sue Von Batten for at least $100 million and seek his extradition, after the firm announced its intention to sue. He denied threatening Von Batten and rejected claims that the government targets opposition figures. Local media reported the exchange.
The dispute is the latest in a sharp public row between the firm and the Tinubu administration. Von Batten-Montague-York is registered under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act as working for Atiku on a $1.2 million, 12-month contract, according to Nigerian media reports. It has campaigned for scrutiny of decades-old U.S. law enforcement records tied to Tinubu, including a civil forfeiture case from the early 1990s. A U.S. court ruling in related records litigation did not find Tinubu guilty of any offence, and no charges have been announced.
In early September, the firm said it had received an unsolicited $3 million offer, which it said it rejected, from a person reportedly linked to Tinubu, in return for dropping its campaign. Presidential adviser Sunday Dare dismissed the claims as political speculation and described Von Batten as a commercial lobbyist. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo separately played down a referral the firm made to the FBI over alleged harassment by Nigerian officials.
Nigerian media have reported that the Tinubu administration hired DCI Group in a lobbying deal worth up to $9 million, a contract Atiku’s camp has criticised.
