Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, has defended President Bola Tinubu over his opposition to the public release of his FBI records, claiming that the materials are not necessarily criminal records.
Omokri stated that the appearance of Tinubu’s name in FBI records did not imply that the president had a criminal past, claiming that the agency keeps vast non-criminal files on individuals.
He said this in a statement on X on Monday, in response to the uproar around Tinubu’s efforts to prevent the release of unredacted FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration information.
Omokri said, “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.”
Omokri explained that the FBI could have records on foreign nationals who had applied for US visas or undergone background checks.
“This is because the FBI conducts mandatory background screenings on behalf of the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security on US visa applicants,” he said.
“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.”
According to him, the records could contain sensitive personal information, including biometric, biographical, and financial details.
“Such records may include personal biometric, biographical, and financial information, such as fingerprints, DNA, bank statements, and other private records,” he said.
Omokri then questioned whether Nigerians would want their private information released to political opponents.
“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?”
Omokri also alleged that the US authorities had previously cleared Tinubu of criminal wrongdoing.
He cited communication he claimed was exchanged between the US Embassy and Nigeria’s then-Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, in February 2003.
According to him, Balogun wrote to the US Embassy to inquire whether the FBI had any criminal records regarding Tinubu, who was then the governor of Lagos State.
He stated that the embassy responded the following day and gave what he described as an “all clear” regarding criminal records involving Tinubu.
He said, “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 added, “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.”
Omokri challenged anyone who doubted the authenticity of the document to seek clarification from the US Embassy.
“Those who may question the authenticity of this document may also wish to contact the US Embassy in Abuja or Lagos for clarification,” he said.
Omokri’s remarks come amid an ongoing legal struggle in the United States over access to Tinubu’s documents.
Chronicle NG reported that Tinubu had asked the United States 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 lawyers said that the US Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act shielded the documents from disclosure while also claiming that there was no public interest recognized by US law that justified disclosing the information.
The lawyers also claimed that the request was politically motivated, seeking information about Tinubu because of his position as Nigeria’s president.
The case stemmed from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by American transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan for access to Tinubu information.
The FBI has used many FOIA exemptions to prevent the publication of some records, including rules relating to privacy, confidential sources, investigative tactics, and individual safety.
The debate about Tinubu’s US records extends back to the 1990s and has become a major issue in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election.
In 1993, a US District Court in Illinois ordered the forfeiture of $460,000 kept in an account linked to Tinubu after US officials claimed the funds were the proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in illegal financial operations.
Throughout the presidential election litigation, the All Progressives Congress contended that the proceeding was a civil forfeiture action rather than a criminal conviction.
In September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court ruled that the petitioners failed to establish Tinubu’s arrest, arraignment, conviction, or sentencing in a criminal case in the United States.
Omokri insisted that the current incident not be used to paint Tinubu as having a criminal history.
He said, “President Bola Tinubu has no criminal record in the United States, Nigeria, or anywhere else.”
He also mentioned that the public should distinguish between an FBI file and a criminal record.
“Please fact-check me: The US FBI regularly keeps billions of non-criminal files on American citizens and residents, as well as foreign nationals, through the FBI’s Central Records Systems and Next Generation Identification database,” he said.
Omokri stated that the release of private records should not be treated as an automatic public right merely because the individual concerned is a political figure.
“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?” he repeated.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have continued to seek the release of the data, claiming that Nigerians have a right to know about the president’s history.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the African Democratic Congress’ spokesperson, stated that Tinubu should support the release of the papers if he had nothing to conceal.
“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.
In the same vein, the Nigerian Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, stated that Nigerians deserved to know the truth and urged Tinubu to reveal the records.
The continuing US case concerns access to government information under the Freedom of Information Act and does not, on its own, constitute a criminal prosecution or demonstrate Tinubu’s involvement in narcotics trafficking.
