Atiku’s US lobbyist firm alleges political intimidation by Tinubu government on critics, threatens to brief Trump

A United States-based lobby firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, says it is engaging the US government over alleged human rights concerns in Nigeria, including claims of political intimidation, arrests of government critics and weakening democratic freedoms ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the firm alleged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was “increasingly displaying the behaviour of a single-party dictatorship consolidating power through fear and intimidation.”

“The Nigerian government under Bola Tinubu is increasingly displaying the behaviour of a single-party dictatorship consolidating power through fear and intimidation,” the firm said.

It further claimed that “across Nigeria, public figures and ordinary citizens who criticise the current government are suddenly being arrested, detained, or charged with corruption,” adding that it was tracking cases it considered concerning.

The firm specifically referenced the ongoing legal challenges involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, saying he was “charged after publicly criticising President Tinubu,” as well as businessman John Olatunde Ayeni, who it said had “reportedly faced legal pressure after criticising the current government.”

According to the statement, “the common thread is becoming difficult to ignore: critics of the #Tinubu government are increasingly being targeted.”

It also alleged that “thousands of ordinary Nigerians with no public profile are being arrested, beaten, intimidated, or disappearing without international attention,” warning that it would brief the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and the US Congress on what it described as “the growing weaponization of state institutions to silence dissent ahead of the next presidential election.”

The claims come amid heightened political tension surrounding El-Rufai, who has spent 91 days in custody despite a Federal High Court ruling granting him ₦100 million bail in an alleged national security-related case.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had imposed strict bail conditions, including the requirement of a high-ranking civil servant surety and property documentation.

However, El-Rufai remains in detention due to a separate corruption case in which a Kaduna State High Court ordered that he be held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

His continued detention has sparked protests from family members, allies and supporters at the Department of State Services headquarters in Abuja, where demonstrators accused security agencies of violating court directives and denying him access to medical care and legal rights.