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A United States (US) lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has said it will report the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), to senior officials in the administration of President Donald Trump.
The firm said the circumstances surrounding Adeyemi’s arrest raise serious concerns.
Adeyemi was arrested in Osun State on Tuesday after a court ordered his arrest for failing to appear for proceedings.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Von Batten-Montague-York said Adeyemi’s arrest came shortly after it became public that the firm had established contact with him.
“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 @realDonaldTrump’s Administration,” the firm said.
“We are told that his arrest occurred shortly after it became public that we were in contact with him and just before he was expected to provide us with evidentiary materials and a sworn statement regarding his account.”
According to the firm, the materials were intended for senior members of the Trump administration.
“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,” it said.
The lobbying firm also said it would formally notify U.S. officials of Adeyemi’s arrest while raising concerns about the circumstances surrounding it.
“Tomorrow, we will report that Mr. Adeyemi has been arrested. We will also report our concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding his arrest, including information we have received suggesting that his prompt arrest was pushed by President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to prevent Mr. Adeyemi from presenting evidence to the U.S. government.”
The firm did not provide evidence to support the allegation against Gbajabiamila, and neither the Presidency nor the Chief of Staff had responded publicly to the claim as of the time of filing this report.
Adeyemi is facing prosecution over his alleged role in establishing the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), an entity the Presidency has disowned. The council also drew public attention after receiving allocations in the national budget despite the Presidency denying any affiliation with it.
Before his arrest, Adeyemi alleged that he paid ₦400 million through an intermediary to secure the appointment and claimed he feared for his life.
He also accused Gbajabiamila of demanding a share of the council’s budget. The case was adjourned until September 30, 2026, for Adeyemi’s arraignment.
Von Batten-Montague-York was reportedly engaged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), under a $1.2 million, 12-month deal that includes lobbying U.S. government officials and providing strategic communications and reputational advisory services on his behalf.
The lobbying firm has repeatedly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration in recent public statements.
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 @realDonaldTrump‘s Administration.
We are told that his arrest occurred shortly after it became public that we… https://t.co/bbgzBQzWpO pic.twitter.com/qCBiflh46z
— Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. (@batten_von) July 15, 2026
