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Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu amid the controversy over the possible release of his records held by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Omokri argued that the existence of FBI records bearing Tinubu’s name does not automatically indicate that the President has a criminal record.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Omokri said the FBI maintains records on millions of people for reasons unrelated to criminal investigations, including background checks involving visa applicants and other foreign nationals.
“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,” he said.
According to Omokri, FBI databases can contain information generated through routine background screening carried out for the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security.
He said such files could contain biometric, biographical and financial information, including fingerprints, DNA and banking records, which he described as private rather than inherently criminal.
“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.
He questioned whether Nigerians would support the disclosure of their own private records to political opponents simply because such information was held by a government agency.
“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?” he asked.
The former presidential aide also 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 contacted the US Embassy while Tinubu was governor of Lagos State to request information on whether the FBI held criminal records concerning him.
Omokri said the embassy responded the following day and gave what he described as an “all clear” concerning criminal records against Tinubu.
He also claimed that he personally examined Tinubu’s academic and other records during a visit to Chicago in 2022, when he was still associated with the opposition.
“Nigerians may want to find attached the response from the Embassy of the United States absolving the then-Governor of Lagos of any wrongdoing or criminal conduct, charges, or activity whatsoever,” he said.
He challenged anyone questioning the authenticity of the correspondence to seek confirmation from the US Embassy.
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Omokri’s comments came amid a legal dispute in the United States over efforts to obtain unredacted records relating to Tinubu from the FBI and DEA.
Tinubu has asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to reject a request for the release of the records. His lawyers have argued that the information is protected under the US Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act.
The President’s legal team has also argued that the request is politically motivated and does not satisfy the requirements for disclosure under US law.
The case followed a Freedom of Information Act request by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan seeking records relating to Tinubu.
The FBI has relied on several exemptions under US law in withholding portions of the records, including provisions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative methods and the safety of individuals.
The dispute has revived longstanding controversy over Tinubu’s activities and records in the United States, particularly issues dating back to the 1990s.
In 1993, a US federal court in Illinois ordered the forfeiture of $460,000 held in an account linked to Tinubu after authorities alleged that the funds were connected to narcotics trafficking or prohibited financial transactions.
The All Progressives Congress argued during the 2023 presidential election litigation that the case involved civil forfeiture rather than a criminal conviction.
In September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court held that the petitioners had failed to establish that Tinubu had been arrested, arraigned, convicted or sentenced in a criminal case in the United States.
Despite Omokri’s defence of the President, opposition figures have continued to demand the release of Tinubu’s US records.
African Democratic Congress spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that Tinubu should support disclosure if there was nothing incriminating in the records.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
Similarly, Nigeria Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said Nigerians deserved transparency over the matter and urged Tinubu to allow the records to be made public.
The ongoing US case concerns access to government records under American disclosure laws and does not, by itself, amount to a criminal prosecution or establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence.
