Nigeria: American Lobbying Firms Disagree Over $57m U.S. Lawsuit Against Tinubu

What the report says

Premium Times, distributed by AllAfrica, reported on Oct. 9, 2026, that an American lobbying dispute tied to Nigerian politics has spilled into a $57 million U.S. federal lawsuit. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Sept. 28, names President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian federal government, former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode, DCI Group and others as defendants.

According to the report, Washington-based lobbyist Karl Von Batten alleges defamation and a conspiracy to kidnap or physically harm him over his work involving U.S. government records related to Tinubu. DCI Group, which says it works for the Nigerian government on U.S. lobbying and policy outreach, rejected the accusations as baseless. Fani-Kayode’s office separately said he had not been formally served with court papers and reiterated his denial.

The publicly available court docket shows the case and summonses, but that does not by itself prove formal service on the defendants. The report also notes that Von Batten’s firm has said it wants damages from Tinubu and the Nigerian government, Fani-Kayode and DCI Group, while Premium Times said it had sought copies of the full complaint and responses from the named parties.

The dispute matters because it links foreign lobbying, Nigerian political figures and allegations of serious wrongdoing in a U.S. court. As reported by Premium Times, the claims remain unproven and no court finding has been made.