Von Batten-Montague-York flags multiple spelling, grammar and formatting errors in document circulated by Tinubu ally Reno Omokri

A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has questioned the authenticity of a purported letter from the US Embassy in Nigeria praising President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in tackling insecurity.

The firm alleged that the document, which was circulated amid renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s historical records in the United States, may have been fabricated and warned that presenting a forged document as an official US government communication could have legal consequences under American law.

Von Batten-Montague-York made the allegation in a statement published on its verified X account on Wednesday.

The controversy followed the circulation of the purported correspondence, which was referenced by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico and prominent Tinubu supporter, Reno Omokri, in his efforts to respond to questions surrounding the Nigerian president’s records in the United States.

The document was reportedly presented as correspondence from the US Embassy relating to security-related checks involving Tinubu.

However, the lobbying firm raised questions over the document’s credibility, pointing to what it described as several glaring spelling, grammatical and formatting errors that it said were inconsistent with official US government correspondence.

Among the issues identified by the firm was the spelling of “czheck” instead of “check” and “maitatins” instead of “maintains.”

It also highlighted the use of “it’s territories” instead of the grammatically correct “its territories.”

Another sentence in the document reportedly reads, “The result of the checks were negative.”

According to the firm, the sentence should read, “The result of the check was negative.”

Other expressions questioned by the lobbying firm include “nor information of your department” and “contact me direct,” which it said should properly read “contact me directly.”

Von Batten-Montague-York argued that the accumulation of such errors made it difficult to accept the correspondence as an authentic communication from a US government agency without independent verification.

FBI records controversy

The latest dispute comes against the backdrop of renewed attention to records concerning Tinubu held by US federal agencies.

The issue has been the subject of an ongoing legal battle over the release of documents held by US agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Omokri recently argued that the existence of FBI records relating to Tinubu should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of criminality.

He distinguished between ordinary FBI files and criminal records, maintaining that the existence of records in an agency's possession does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.

In making his case, Omokri also referred to a purported letter said to have been transmitted through the US Embassy in Lagos to the Nigerian government.

The letter has now come under scrutiny from Von Batten-Montague-York, which questioned whether the document was genuinely issued by a US diplomatic mission.

The firm said that, if the document were authentic, it could raise questions about the accuracy of information allegedly provided by a US agency.

However, it stressed that the apparent language and formatting problems warranted further verification before the document could be accepted as genuine.

Firm demands independent verification

In its statement, Von Batten-Montague-York accused Tinubu and his associates of attempting to use documents and narratives to distract from questions surrounding the president's US records.

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

It specifically identified the letter circulated by Omokri as one of the documents requiring scrutiny.

The firm added that if the letter were genuine, it could raise questions about whether a US agency had provided inaccurate information.

“But a close examination raises questions about the letter’s authenticity,” it said, citing the spelling and grammatical errors contained in the document.

“Given these errors, we find it very difficult to accept this letter as authentic without independent verification,” the firm added.

Von Batten-Montague-York then issued a pointed warning to Tinubu and his associates.

“Dear President Tinubu and associates: if this document is not authentic, presenting a fabricated document as an official US government communication is a serious matter and may have legal consequences under US law,” the firm said.

The allegation remains a claim by the lobbying firm, and the authenticity of the purported embassy correspondence would require confirmation from the US Embassy or another competent US government authority.

The dispute adds another layer to the increasingly contentious debate surrounding Tinubu’s historical records in the United States, with supporters and critics of the president offering sharply different interpretations of documents emerging from the controversy.