TD A Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has called on the United States Department of State to publish the full text of a critical minerals mining agreement with Nigeria.
The firm said disclosure is needed to address allegations of corruption surrounding the deal.
The firm’s statement comes amid reported plans by Democratic lawmakers to investigate critical-minerals agreements negotiated by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
In a post on X, the firm said the integrity of the United States was at stake and criticised what it described as Democratic allegations of corruption and “pay-to-play” arrangements involving the administration’s mineral deals.
The firm also linked the controversy to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), suggesting that the mining agreement had been portrayed by some as a settlement or inducement to the Trump administration.
However, the claim that the agreement was a bribe or connected to the deaths has not been substantiated by the publicly available evidence cited in the post.
Firm Demands Publication of Full Agreement
Von Batten-Montague-York urged the State Department to release the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), arguing that making the document public would help dispel allegations of corruption.
“The integrity of the United States is on the line,” the firm wrote, adding that Democrats in the US House of Representatives were signalling plans to investigate the Trump administration’s critical-minerals deals and the officials involved in negotiating them.
The firm described the corruption allegations as “ridiculous” but maintained that publication of the agreement was necessary to address growing questions about the arrangement.
The statement did not provide evidence that US lawmakers had formally opened an investigation into the Nigeria agreement. It framed the matter as a developing political and congressional issue.
Nigeria and US Sign Critical Minerals Agreement
Nigeria and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
According to official Nigerian government statements, the framework is intended to encourage investment and cooperation in geological data, exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity.
The agreement is also part of broader US efforts to diversify critical-mineral supply chains and reduce reliance on China.
The publicly announced objectives concern cooperation and investment in Nigeria’s solid-minerals sector.
The allegations that the agreement was offered as a political inducement remain claims made by Von Batten-Montague-York and have not been independently established.
37 Miners Die in NSCDC Custody
The lobbying firm’s statement also referred to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, on September 17.
The victims were among people arrested during anti-illegal-mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16.
The deaths triggered public outrage and calls for accountability. The NSCDC initially referred to a suspected disease outbreak, while survivors’ accounts reported by international media raised concerns about overcrowding and conditions in detention.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago confirmed the deaths and announced an investigation. The Federal Government subsequently constituted a 10-member independent committee, while officers linked to the incident were suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
The precise cause and circumstances of the deaths remain matters for investigation.
Allegations Link Deal to Tinubu’s US Engagements
Von Batten-Montague-York has previously alleged that the proposed mining agreement was among initiatives offered by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in an effort to secure a meeting with Trump.
The firm has also connected its campaign for the release of US law-enforcement records concerning allegations about Tinubu’s past to the wider dispute.
These assertions have not been established as findings by a court or an official investigation. The signing of the mining MOU, by itself, does not demonstrate that it was linked to any alleged effort to influence the US president.
Calls for Transparency
The controversy places renewed attention on the terms of the US-Nigeria minerals agreement, the process through which it was negotiated, and the extent of public disclosure surrounding it.
Von Batten-Montague-York says the State Department should publish the full MOU to allow the allegations to be assessed against the agreement’s actual provisions.
The US government has not been shown in the material cited here to have accepted the firm’s allegations that the deal constituted a bribe or settlement.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the deaths of the 37 suspected miners is proceeding separately, with Nigerian authorities under pressure to establish how the detainees died and whether officials should be held accountable.
The full text of the agreement and the findings of the relevant investigations would be necessary to assess the competing claims.
