Fani-Kayode Denies Allegations Against Tinubu in Column — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, Femi Fani-Kayode denied in his column allegations against President Bola Tinubu regarding alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the United States. He also said that he could report posts by Washington lobbyist Karl von Batten on the social network X to Nigerian security agencies.
Denial regarding the US case
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Fani-Kayode claims that an FBI NCIC check mentioned in a 2003 letter from US Consulate representative Michael Bonner to Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun found no records of criminal arrests, wanted notices, or warrants concerning Tinubu.
The columnist stated that materials concerning a 1993 civil forfeiture related to Tinubu’s bank accounts are not evidence of a criminal charge or conviction. He called on von Batten to provide documents that, in his view, could confirm claims that Tinubu was charged or convicted.
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Mutual allegations
Fani-Kayode also made a number of unverified allegations against von Batten, including concerning the use of different names, education, and an alleged 2003 charge in the United States. He did not provide documents in the column to support these claims.
Separately, the author wrote that von Batten publicly accused him of intending to kill or abduct the lobbyist, referring to Fani-Kayode’s post on X dated September 20. Fani-Kayode denied such intentions, said he was prepared to act within the law, and mentioned the possibility of appealing to the relevant Nigerian security agencies.
The column also contains Fani-Kayode’s claim that former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar allegedly paid von Batten $1.2 million for a campaign to discredit Tinubu. The publication presents this as the author’s position without independent confirmation.
