A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, says it will formally report the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), to the US government.
The firm made the announcement in a statement published on its official X account on Wednesday, claiming Adeyemi was arrested by Nigerian law enforcement authorities just as preparations were underway for him to engage with senior officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump.
According to the lobbying firm, Adeyemi was expected to discuss allegations he had made against senior Nigerian government officials and submit documentary evidence alongside a sworn statement to American authorities.
“We learned a short time ago that Mr. Adeyemi has been arrested by Nigerian law enforcement just as we were preparing for him to speak with senior members of President Donald Trump’s Administration,” the statement read.
The firm further claimed that the arrest came shortly after it became publicly known that it had established contact with Adeyemi and before he could hand over materials it said had been requested by US officials.
“Those materials were to be transmitted to senior members of the Trump Administration, who had requested that we provide all available information concerning Mr. Adeyemi’s allegations,” the statement added.
Von Batten-Montague-York also alleged, without presenting supporting evidence, that Adeyemi’s arrest was intended to prevent him from sharing information with officials in the United States. The firm did not provide documents or independent proof to substantiate the claim.
The latest statement follows an earlier post by the firm’s Managing Partner, Karl Von Batten, who said he had already briefed members of President Trump’s team on Adeyemi’s allegations and planned to engage members of the US Congress on the matter.
As of the time of filing this report, Nigerian authorities had not publicly responded to the claims made by the lobbying firm regarding Adeyemi’s arrest or the allegations surrounding the case.
