A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has claimed that a proposed private meeting between President Bola Tinubu and United States President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly will not take place.
The firm, which has been involved in advocacy over records relating to allegations concerning Tinubu’s past dealings in the United States, made the claim on Monday while commenting on the Nigerian President’s expected attendance at the UN General Assembly in New York next month.
The organisation alleged that members of the Trump administration had indicated that Trump would not hold a private meeting with Tinubu because of allegations linking the Nigerian President to heroin trafficking.
“Unfortunately for President Tinubu, he is going to be embarrassed at the UN. The meeting President #Tinubu has been pushing for with President @realDonaldTrump at the UNGA will not happen,” the firm said.
“Key members of the #Trump Administration have made it clear that President Trump is not going to meet privately with an alleged heroin trafficker.”
The firm also said Tinubu would nevertheless be able to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly, arguing that his position as Nigeria’s President gives him access and transit protections associated with representatives of UN member states.
“As a result of the alleged deal he made with federal authorities during the 1990s, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu cannot be prosecuted for his alleged heroin-trafficking crimes,” the organisation alleged.
“As President of #Nigeria, he can travel to New York to attend the @UN General Assembly (UNGA) under the access and transit protections afforded to representatives of UN member states.”
The organisation’s claims come amid a renewed legal dispute in the United States over the release of Federal Bureau of Investigation records relating to an investigation involving Tinubu in the early 1990s.
The FBI recently submitted documents connected to the investigation to a US federal judge for confidential examination after being ordered to respond to a Freedom of Information Act case brought by American transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan.
The records were submitted on Friday, August 28, to Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia. They were filed “under seal, ex parte, in camera”, meaning that they were made available privately to the judge for review rather than released to the public.
The dispute centres on FBI records relating to Tinubu and investigations conducted in the United States in 1992 and 1993. Among the materials sought are interview reports, commonly referred to as Form 302 records.
The case also relates to a 1993 civil forfeiture involving approximately $460,000 in Chicago. Previously released US court documents showed that funds linked to accounts associated with Tinubu were forfeited to the US government.
Tinubu has denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally convicted in connection with the matter.
His lawyers have opposed the release of additional FBI records, arguing that disclosure could infringe on privacy rights and that the decades-old investigation did not result in a criminal conviction.
The FBI has also maintained that some information contained in the records is protected under exemptions in US freedom-of-information law, particularly provisions covering personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative methods and information that could potentially endanger individuals.
In one of its court filings, the FBI explained why part of its argument had to remain confidential.
“The FBI has determined that it cannot provide on the public record the full basis for the application of Exemptions 7(E) and 7(F) to certain withholdings and that, therefore, an ex parte, under seal declaration is necessary,” the agency said.
The latest development means that Judge Howell will have to examine the disputed records and the legal arguments before determining whether some or all of the documents should be released.
The Von Batten-Montague-York claim regarding a possible Trump-Tinubu meeting comes as the organisation continues its campaign for the release of the records.
The firm has previously said it intends to work with anti-drug organisations, religious groups and people affected by heroin abuse in the United States as part of its campaign.
In an earlier statement, the organisation alleged that US agencies had failed to release records relating to investigations concerning Tinubu despite Freedom of Information Act requests submitted by Greenspan.
“The FBI, the Justice Department, and the DEA under President Joe Biden refused FOIA requests to release records concerning Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s alleged heroin trafficking from Nigeria to Chicago,” the firm claimed.
It further alleged that the dispute had resulted in court action and that the records should now be made available.
“The FOIA requests were made by Aaron Greenspan, an American transparency activist. The refusal and stonewalling by the Biden Administration led to US District Judge Beryl Howell ordering the Biden Administration in 2025 to release the files. Yet, no files have been released. This is going to change,” it said.
The organisation has now threatened to expand its campaign around the United Nations headquarters during the General Assembly.
“If we are authorized, we will put into operation our plan to ensure every New Yorker within a six-mile radius of #UN Headquarters learns about President Tinubu’s alleged role in smuggling poison (heroin) onto American soil,” it said.