A United States lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Von Batten-Montague-York, says it will brief members of President Donald Trump’s administration on the arrest of self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The Washington-based firm disclosed this in a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday, hours after Adeyemi was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The firm claimed Adeyemi’s arrest came as it was preparing to facilitate discussions between him and senior members of the Trump administration over allegations he had made against top Nigerian government officials.
“We learned a short time ago that Mr. Adeyemi has been arrested by Nigerian law enforcement just as we were preparing for him to speak with senior members of President @realDonaldTrump’s Administration,” the statement read.
It added that Adeyemi was expected to provide documentary evidence and a sworn statement to U.S. officials.
“We are told that his arrest occurred shortly after it became public that we were in contact with him and just before he was expected to provide us with evidentiary materials and a sworn statement regarding his account.
“Those materials were to be transmitted to senior members of the Trump Administration, who had requested that we provide all available information concerning Mr. Adeyemi’s allegations,” the firm said.
Von Batten-Montague-York also alleged, without providing evidence, that Adeyemi’s arrest was intended to prevent him from sharing information with U.S. authorities.
“Tomorrow, we will report that Mr. Adeyemi has been arrested. We will also report our concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding his arrest, including information we have received suggesting that his prompt arrest was pushed by President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to prevent Mr. Adeyemi from presenting evidence to the U.S. government.
“We will keep the public updated on developments,” it added.
The statement followed an earlier post by the firm’s managing partner, Karl Von Batten, in which he said he had briefed members of Trump’s team on Adeyemi’s allegations and planned to engage members of the U.S. Congress.
“This is Dr. Von Batten. I just spoke with Mr. Adeyemi. I found him to be sincere and credible. Based on our discussion, I believe his allegations warrant an investigation by Congress, @StateDept, @USTreasury,@USGAO, and other relevant U.S. agencies due to the alleged misappropriation of U.S.-funded World Bank loans by senior members of the #Nigerian government. This past weekend, I briefed senior members of President
@realDonaldTrump’s team on these allegations, and our team will begin briefing Members of Congress this week,” Von Batten said on Monday.
The firm was engaged by Atiku under a $1.2 million, 12-month deal that includes lobbying U.S. government officials and providing strategic communications and reputational advisory services on the ex-VP’s behalf.
Adeyemi was arrested on Tuesday in Osun State by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team, hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Nigeria Police accused Adeyemi of forging official government documents, including a purported presidential appointment letter allegedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an agency the Presidency has said does not exist.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi had alleged that he paid ₦400 million through an intermediary to secure the appointment and claimed he feared for his life.
He also accused Gbajabiamila of demanding a share of the agency’s budget, an allegation the Presidency has not publicly admitted.
The case has been adjourned until September 30, 2026, for his arraignment.
The PUNCH