Atiku’s US lobbyist was convicted of domestic assault in 2003 — Court documents reveal

Karl Von Batten, the Washington-based lobbyist retained by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to advance his political interests in the United States, was convicted and sentenced for assaulting his girlfriend in December 2003, according to court documents reviewed by TheCable.

The conviction emerged from details contained in a District of Columbia Court of Appeals judgment in a case filed by Von Batten’s ex-girlfriend, Cynthia D. Murphy, who challenged a civil protection order issued against her for failing to leave Von Batten’s apartment.

In the court documents, Von Batten was identified under the name “Karl M.E. Okeke.” The appellate court, while ruling on Murphy’s appeal, provided a detailed account of the assault that led to Von Batten’s conviction.

According to the court, Von Batten and Murphy began a romantic relationship in April 2003. On July 4, 2003, Murphy attended a party at Von Batten’s apartment and discovered through his roommate, Katy Elizabeth Gaire, that Von Batten had been romantically involved with Gaire as well.

The revelation triggered a confrontation. The court documents state that Von Batten “lunged at Ms. Murphy, who was perched on the edge of the bathtub, causing her to fall,” before dragging her into his bedroom where he “repeatedly hit her in the face including her eye; kicked her in her legs and on her buttocks; and pushed her up against the wall.”

The disclosure raises fresh questions about the due diligence conducted by Atiku’s team before engaging Von Batten as the key lobbyist tasked with building pressure against President Bola Tinubu in Washington — including briefing US congressional members and Trump administration officials on drug trafficking allegations surrounding the Nigerian president.

Von Batten’s firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has been at the centre of recent political controversy in Nigeria following its public campaign targeting Tinubu’s past in the United States.