Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has defended President Bola Tinubu’s opposition to the release of his unredacted records held by United States law enforcement agencies, arguing that the existence of an FBI file does not automatically mean a person has a criminal record.
Omokri said FBI databases contain information on millions of people for reasons that may have nothing to do with criminal activity. He made the argument in a statement posted on X on Monday amid an ongoing legal dispute in the US over access to records concerning Tinubu.
According to him, records held by the FBI could result from routine background checks conducted for visa applications and other government purposes.
“President Bola Tinubu has no criminal record in the United States, Nigeria, or anywhere else,” Omokri said, insisting that the existence of records bearing Tinubu’s name should not be interpreted as evidence of criminal conduct.
He argued that foreign nationals can have information stored in US government databases following immigration or security screening processes.
Omokri also said such files could contain highly sensitive personal information, including biometric, biographical and financial details, and questioned whether private citizens would want similar records made publicly available simply because they were involved in politics.
Omokri cites alleged US Embassy correspondence
In defending his position, Omokri referred to correspondence he said was exchanged between the US Embassy and former Inspector-General of Police Tafa Balogun in February 2003.
He claimed Balogun had contacted the embassy while Tinubu was governor of Lagos State to establish whether US authorities had criminal records concerning him.
Omokri said the embassy responded the following day with what he described as an “all clear” regarding criminal records.
He also referred to his own visit to Chicago in 2022, saying he investigated Tinubu’s academic and other records while he was still associated with the opposition.
Omokri urged anyone who doubts the authenticity of the document he referenced to seek confirmation directly from the US Embassy.
Tinubu challenges release of FBI, DEA records
The comments come as Tinubu continues to challenge efforts to obtain unredacted records concerning him from the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The President’s lawyers have asked the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to reject a request for the records, arguing that provisions of the US Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act protect the information from disclosure.
His legal team has also argued that the request is politically motivated and that there is no recognised public-interest basis under US law for releasing the protected records.
The case stems from a Freedom of Information Act request filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking records connected to Tinubu.
US authorities have relied on several FOIA exemptions in withholding portions of the material, including provisions relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative procedures and the safety of individuals.
Why Tinubu’s US records remain controversial
The controversy surrounding Tinubu and US records dates back to the early 1990s and became a prominent issue during the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
In 1993, a US District Court in Illinois ordered the forfeiture of about $460,000 held in an account linked to Tinubu after US authorities alleged that the funds were connected to narcotics trafficking or prohibited financial transactions.
Tinubu’s political camp has maintained that the case was a civil forfeiture proceeding rather than a criminal conviction.
In September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court ruled that the petitioners had not established that Tinubu had been arrested, prosecuted, convicted or sentenced in a criminal case in the United States.
The current FOIA dispute, however, concerns access to government records and does not itself amount to a criminal prosecution or establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence.
Opposition demands disclosure
While Omokri has defended Tinubu’s position, opposition figures continue to argue that the records should be made public.
African Democratic Congress spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi questioned why Tinubu would oppose disclosure if the documents contained nothing damaging, saying the President should allow the records to be released to remove doubts.
Nigeria Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary Osa Director also called for transparency, arguing that Nigerians deserve access to information concerning the President’s past.
The dispute is therefore likely to continue in the US courts, where the question remains whether the requested records can legally be released under the applicable FOIA and privacy provisions.