Tinubu’s US Embassy Letter Questioned as Lobbying Firm Alleges Forgery

A fresh controversy has erupted over a purported US Embassy letter used to defend President Bola Tinubu against claims about his American records, after a US lobbying firm alleged that the document may have been fabricated and pointed to several errors it described as unusual for official correspondence.

Von Batten-Montague-York has questioned the authenticity of a purported 2003 US Embassy letter cited by Reno Omokri in defence of President Bola Tinubu. The US lobbying firm alleged that the document contains several spelling, grammatical and formatting errors and called for independent verification. The firm has not, however, publicly established through forensic evidence that Tinubu personally forged the document.

ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come under fresh scrutiny after a United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm questioned the authenticity of a purported US Embassy letter cited in his defence over his historical records in the United States.

Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that the document may have been forged by Tinubu and his associates. However, the firm did not provide independent forensic evidence establishing that the President personally fabricated the letter.

The firm raised the allegation in a statement published on its verified X account on Wednesday.

The controversy followed the circulation of a purported 2003 letter from the US Embassy in Nigeria. The document was recently referenced by Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, as part of his response to claims concerning Tinubu’s records in the United States.

According to reports, the letter was addressed to then Inspector-General of Police Tafa Balogun and was signed by Michael H. Bonner, identified as a legal attaché at the American Consulate in Lagos.

The document purportedly stated that a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Crime Information Center check returned no records of criminal arrests, outstanding warrants or wanted notices for Tinubu.

Lobbying firm questions letter

However, Von Batten-Montague-York questioned whether the document was genuine.

The firm pointed to what it described as several spelling, grammatical and formatting errors in the purported official communication.

Among the errors highlighted were “czheck” instead of “check” and “maitatins” instead of “maintains.”

The firm also questioned the phrase “it’s territories”, arguing that it should read “its territories.”

Another sentence flagged by the firm was:

“The result of the checks were negative.”

According to the firm, the sentence should instead read:

“The result of the check was negative.”

Other phrases questioned included “nor information of your department” and “contact me direct”, which the firm said should read “contact me directly.”

Firm calls for independent verification

Von Batten-Montague-York said the alleged errors made it difficult for the document to be accepted as genuine without independent verification.

The firm said:

“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his associates are, as expected, spreading stories and documents to cloud the matter.”

It added that the letter had been presented by Omokri as a communication from the US Embassy in Nigeria.

The firm further argued that, if the document were authentic, questions could arise over whether a US agency had provided inaccurate information.

It said the document should therefore be independently verified before it is accepted as an official US government communication.

The lobbying firm also warned that if the document were eventually established to be fabricated, presenting it as an official US government communication could have legal consequences under US law.

Tinubu’s US records controversy

The dispute comes amid renewed attention to Tinubu’s historical records in the United States.

The issue has gained fresh attention following legal proceedings over records held by US federal agencies concerning the Nigerian President. The FBI reportedly submitted documents connected to Tinubu to a US federal judge under seal for private review.

Omokri, however, has argued that the existence of FBI records concerning Tinubu does not automatically mean that the records are criminal in nature.

He also recently cited the purported 2003 US Embassy letter as evidence that an FBI check had found no criminal arrest records, wants or warrants linked to Tinubu at the time.

The latest development has therefore added another layer to the growing debate over Tinubu’s records in the United States.

For now, the authenticity of the disputed letter remains contested, with the lobbying firm calling for independent verification of the document.