Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s opposition to the public release of his records held by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.
Omokri argued that the existence of records bearing Tinubu’s name in FBI databases does not necessarily mean that the Nigerian President has a criminal record.
He made the remarks in a statement on X on Monday while reacting to the ongoing controversy surrounding Tinubu’s efforts to prevent the release of unredacted records held by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA.
Omokri said FBI databases contain extensive information on individuals for purposes that are not necessarily related to criminal investigations.
“President Bola Tinubu has no criminal record in the United States, Nigeria, or anywhere else, and the FBI has not provided any criminal record on the President to anyone because none exists. Yes, FBI records may contain his name, but they are NOT criminal records.”
According to him, the FBI conducts background checks for the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security, including checks involving visa applicants.
He argued that such processes could result in individuals having extensive files with the agency without necessarily having committed a crime.
“Thus, as a US citizen or resident, or even as a foreign national, if your name is run through the FBI databases, it is likely to bring up hundreds of pages of records. This does not mean that the records are criminal. In most cases, they will be benign.”
Omokri said such records could contain sensitive personal information, including biometric, biographical and financial data.
“Such records may include personal biometric, biographical, and financial information, such as fingerprints, DNA, bank statements, and other private records,” he said.
He questioned whether Nigerians would want their private records released to political opponents simply because the person concerned is a public figure.
“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?”
Omokri cites 2003 US Embassy correspondence
The former presidential aide also claimed that US authorities had previously cleared Tinubu of criminal wrongdoing.
He referred to correspondence he said was exchanged between the US Embassy and Nigeria’s then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, in February 2003.
According to Omokri, Balogun had written to the US Embassy seeking information on whether the FBI had any criminal records involving Tinubu, who was then governor of Lagos State.
Omokri said the embassy responded the following day with what he described as an “all clear” regarding criminal records involving Tinubu.
He also said his own findings during a 2022 visit to Chicago had reinforced his position.
“This was consistent with my findings when I visited Chicago in 2022, as a member of the opposition, to establish the truth about then-Presidential candidate Bola Tinubu’s academic and other records.”
Omokri urged Nigerians who doubt the authenticity of the document he referenced to contact the US Embassy for clarification.
“Those who may question the authenticity of this document may also wish to contact the US Embassy in Abuja or Lagos for clarification.”
Tinubu challenges release of FBI, DEA records
Omokri’s comments come amid an ongoing legal dispute in the United States over access to records concerning Tinubu.
Tinubu’s lawyers have asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reject a request seeking the release of his unredacted records held by the FBI and DEA.
The President’s legal team has argued that the US Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act protect the records from disclosure. They have also maintained that the request is politically motivated and does not meet the threshold of public interest recognised under US law.
The case followed a Freedom of Information Act request by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought records relating to Tinubu.
The FBI has relied on several FOIA exemptions in resisting the release of portions of the records, including provisions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative techniques and the safety of individuals.
Controversy over Tinubu’s US past
The controversy surrounding Tinubu’s records in the United States dates back to the 1990s and became a major issue during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
In 1993, a US District Court in Illinois ordered the forfeiture of $460,000 held in an account linked to Tinubu after US authorities alleged that the funds represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in prohibited financial transactions.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, maintained during the presidential election litigation that the proceeding was a civil forfeiture case and did not amount to a criminal conviction.
In September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court held that the petitioners had failed to establish that Tinubu was arrested, arraigned, convicted or sentenced in a criminal case in the US.
However, opposition groups have continued to demand greater disclosure, arguing that Nigerians deserve transparency about the President’s past.
The African Democratic Congress spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that Tinubu should allow the records to be released if there was nothing incriminating in them.
“Why is the President opposing the release of his past records? That is suspicious. The President should allow them (records) to be released to clear himself,” he said.
Similarly, the Nigeria Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, called for the release of the records, arguing that Nigerians deserved to know the truth.
The ongoing US case concerns access to government records under the FOIA and does not, by itself, amount to a criminal prosecution or establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence.
