A Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has announced plans to brief members of President Donald Trump’s administration on the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
According to The Punch, the firm made the disclosure in a statement shared on its X account on Wednesday, shortly after Adeyemi was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the lobbying firm, Adeyemi’s arrest came at a time when arrangements had been concluded for him to engage senior officials in the Trump administration over allegations he had levelled against top Nigerian government figures.
“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.
The firm further stated that Adeyemi was expected to submit documentary evidence alongside 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 presenting evidence, that the arrest was orchestrated to stop Adeyemi from passing information to American 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, who said he had already briefed members of Trump’s team on Adeyemi’s claims and intended to extend the engagement to 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.
Atiku engaged the lobbying firm under a 12-month contract valued at $1.2 million. The agreement covers lobbying U.S. government officials as well as strategic communications and reputational advisory services on behalf of the former vice president.
Adeyemi was apprehended on Tuesday in Osun State by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over allegations of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Police alleged that Adeyemi forged several official government documents, including a purported presidential appointment letter allegedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He is also accused of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an agency the Presidency has maintained does not exist.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi claimed he paid ₦400 million through an intermediary to secure the appointment and alleged that his life was in danger.
He also accused Gbajabiamila of requesting a share of the agency’s budget, an allegation the Presidency has not publicly admitted.
The matter has been adjourned until September 30, 2026, for Adeyemi’s arraignment.
