WASHINGTON, United States – Washington-based policy advisory and lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. has formally challenged the authenticity of a 2003 clearance letter purportedly issued by the United States Embassy in Nigeria regarding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing multiple typographical errors, grammatical lapses, and irregular administrative drafting, the firm announced on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The disputed document, which has frequently been circulated across digital channels by prominent socio-political commentator and presidential ally Reno Omokri, has resurfaced following a sworn declaration filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a United States federal court confirming that archival records concerning Tinubu were compiled during a 1990s drug-trafficking investigation.
Okay News reports that the correspondence, dated February 4, 2003, and purportedly signed by former Legal Attaché Michael H. Bonner from the American Consulate in Lagos, was addressed to Nigeria’s late Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, stating that an FBI and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) record check on Tinubu returned negative for criminal arrest warrants or convictions.
However, Von Batten-Montague-York, an advisory firm currently retained by former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar to conduct public policy engagements in the United States, argued that a forensic appraisal of the document suggests it fails basic institutional standards required of official diplomatic correspondence.
The firm highlighted numerous clerical blunders embedded within the body of the one-page letter, including spelling discrepancies such as “checke” or “czheck” instead of “check,” “maitatins” instead of “maintains,” and the possessive error “it’s territories” in place of “its territories.”
The lobbying group further questioned obvious grammatical disagreements and syntactical fragmentation within the text, pointing to sentences such as “the result of the checks were negative” instead of “was negative,” the incomplete phrase “nor information of your department,” and the informal closing instruction “contact me direct” rather than “contact me directly.”
“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his associates are, as expected, spreading stories and documents to cloud the matter,” the advisory firm stated. “For example, the letter below is alleged by President Tinubu’s associate to be from the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria. If authentic, given the FBI’s recent admission, it raises questions about whether a U.S. agency provided inaccurate information. But a close examination raises questions about the letter’s authenticity.”
Underlining the legal ramifications of presenting official diplomatic instruments, the Washington firm cautioned that disseminating unverified or altered government papers could trigger scrutiny from American authorities.
“Given these errors, we find it very difficult to accept this letter as authentic without independent verification,” the firm stated. “If this document is not authentic, presenting a fabricated document as an official U.S. government communication is a serious matter and may have legal consequences under U.S. law.”
The escalation comes amid heated partisan exchanges following the FBI’s August 28 court filing before U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, D.C., where American authorities affirmed that responsive files concerning historical inquiries in Chicago exist, while the Nigerian Presidency maintained that Tinubu was never indicted, charged, or convicted of any criminal wrongdoing.
