US-based advocacy and lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York has officially filed a $57 million federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., targeting Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government of Nigeria, former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, and public affairs firm DCI Group.
The civil complaint, lodged in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges defamation and an organized conspiracy to kidnap and physically harm the firm’s principal, Dr. Karl Von Batten.
Official court records confirm that summonses have been issued to the defendants under the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
The $57 million damages claim seeks $36 million jointly from President Tinubu and the Nigerian government, $18 million from DCI Group, and $3 million from Fani-Kayode individually.
Von Batten’s firm, which previously represented former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Tinubu’s chief political opponent in the 2023 election, has been actively lobbying U.S. agencies for the declassification of FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records regarding past allegations involving the Nigerian leader.
Former minister Femi Fani-Kayode has strongly denied the allegations, characterizing them as unfounded slander and threatening a $100 million counter-suit alongside extradition demands.The claims remain unproven as initial filings proceed before the U.S. District Court.
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