Inside Nigeria’s high-stakes Washington lobby war over ‘Christian genocide’ narrative
The Nigerian government has mounted a multimillion-dollar lobbying push in Washington, outspending pro-Biafra activists as both sides seek to shape the thinking of US President Donald Trump over allegations of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
Lobbying documents filed with the US Department of Justice show that Aster Legal, a law firm based in Kaduna, hired US lobbying firm DCI Group on behalf of Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s national security adviser.
DCI Group is a Washington-based public affairs and lobbying firm known for mobilising conservative support for Ukraine’s religious freedom claims and for securing a delay in the European Union’s deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR).
The six-month agreement, signed on December 17, 2025, includes an automatic renewal clause for another six months. Under the deal, Nigeria agreed to pay a monthly retainer of $750,000, covering professional fees and expenses.
On December 12, Nigeria paid DCI $4.5 million upfront as a six-month retainer, the filings showed.
The documents do not specify how Aster Legal sourced the funds. However, sources told Africa Confidential in a Tuesday report that the money likely came either from wealthy supporters of Bola Tinubu or indirectly from the Nigerian government.
The filings list Diane London as the contractor paying DCI’s $750,000 monthly fees on behalf of Aster Legal, which operates offices in both Nigeria and Florida.
Under the contract, DCI is tasked with communicating Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christian communities, sustain US backing for counter-terrorism operations, and counter jihadist groups and other destabilising forces.
Justin Peterson, DCI’s managing member, and Doug Davenport, a senior adviser, are leading the engagement. Davenport, who worked on the presidential campaigns of George W Bush and Elizabeth Dole, was appointed by Trump to represent him on Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board. He also worked on Trump’s 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaigns.
Roger Stone, a close Trump ally, also serves as an adviser to DCI.
Beyond security messaging, the engagement is also expected to support trade and commercial ties between Nigeria and the US, creating avenues for expanded investment and bilateral cooperation.
Nigeria dwarfs pro-Biafra lobbying budget
The scale of Nigeria’s lobbying effort far exceeds that of pro-Biafra groups operating in Washington.
In January, about a month after Nigeria signed its deal with DCI, the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) announced its own lobbying contract with Washington & Madison, a DC-based firm led by Elias Gerasoulis.
Gerasoulis previously served as partner and vice president at Moran Global Strategies, where he advanced pro-Biafra interests within Trump-aligned political circles. After founding Washington & Madison, he transferred his Biafran clients to the new firm.
According to Africa Confidential, BRGIE agreed to pay Washington & Madison a monthly retainer of $66,000. The contract seeks to push for sanctions against Nigerian officials at federal, state, and local levels, promote US engagement with a prospective Biafran administration, and build support for future military action and oil agreements favourable to Washington.
The contract also mandates Gerasoulis to “explain to U.S. officials the role of Nigerian government proxies in Biafraland, such as the so-called Nigerian ‘Southeast Governors’, in acting against both Biafran and U.S. interests by conspiring with US adversaries”.
It is also expected to accuse south-east governors of allowing “malign foreign influence, such as Iran, to the oil rich, strategic Gulf of Guinea” and of being “complicit in Christian genocide and highly dangerous to U.S. interests”.
Security cooperation gathers pace
Nigeria’s office of the national security adviser said the Washington engagement is already delivering results.
On Tuesday, the United States delivered military supplies to Nigerian security agencies to strengthen ongoing counter-terrorism operations. The NSA’s office said Nigeria has received more than $100 million worth of military equipment in recent weeks.
At least 12 Bell Textron AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters, valued at $997 million, are also scheduled for delivery to Nigeria by 2028, according to Africa Confidential.
The lobbying push is expected to continue into the first quarter of 2026, when the US Congress will decide whether to approve the sale of $346 million worth of precision-guided bombs and rockets to Nigeria through the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
