Why Tinubu Doesn’t Want His FBI Records Released – Reno Omokri

Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s legal opposition to the public release of his files held by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), maintaining that the documents do not constitute a criminal record.

Omokri explained that the presence of the President’s name in FBI databases does not indicate criminal history, noting that the federal law enforcement agency maintains vast non-criminal administrative files on millions of individuals globally.

He expressed these views in an official statement posted on X on Monday, reacting to the ongoing legal struggle surrounding attempts to compel the unredacted release of files held by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“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 stated.

He clarified that the FBI routinely opens files on foreign nationals who apply for US travel visas or undergo mandatory immigration screenings.

“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 Omokri, the requested files contain sensitive personal data that any individual would naturally protect from public exposure.

“Such records may include personal biometric, biographical, and financial information, such as fingerprints, DNA, bank statements, and other private records,” he said.

He further questioned whether citizens would tolerate having their personal data exposed to political rivals.

“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?”

Omokri asserted that US diplomatic authorities previously cleared Tinubu of criminal records over two decades ago.

He referenced official diplomatic correspondence exchanged between the US Embassy in Nigeria and former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, in February 2003.

According to him, Balogun formally requested the US Embassy to verify whether the FBI held any criminal records on Tinubu while he served as Governor of Lagos State.

Omokri noted that the embassy replied the following day, issuing a clear response confirming the absence of criminal records.

“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,” he said.

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.”

He challenged skeptics questioning the document’s authenticity to verify its contents directly with US diplomatic missions.

“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 active lawsuit before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeking full access to the President’s agency records.

Tinubu’s legal team has urged the court to block the request, arguing that disclosure violates protection provisions under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act, while stressing that no recognized public interest justifies breaching personal privacy laws.

His defense attorneys also asserted that the FOIA request, filed by American transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan, is politically motivated and targets Tinubu due to his official capacity as Nigeria’s head of state.

In response, the FBI invoked statutory FOIA exemptions to withhold sensitive materials, citing rules governing personal privacy, confidential sources, investigative protocols, and personal safety.

Controversy over Tinubu’s US records dates back to a 1993 civil proceeding in a US District Court in Illinois, which resulted in the forfeiture of $460,000 from accounts associated with him following allegations related to narcotics proceeds.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has consistently maintained that the 1993 court action constituted a civil asset forfeiture rather than a criminal trial or conviction.

Affirming this position in September 2023, Nigeria’s Presidential Election Petition Court ruled that petitioners failed to prove that Tinubu was ever arrested, indicted, convicted, or sentenced for criminal offenses in the US.

Reiterating his position, Omokri urged commentators to refrain from mischaracterizing standard administrative files as evidence of criminality.

“President Bola Tinubu has no criminal record in the United States, Nigeria, or anywhere else,” he said.

He encouraged the public to understand the operational distinctions within American intelligence databases.

“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 concluded that public office does not strip an individual of fundamental rights to personal privacy.

“Would you, as an individual, want your private records released to your political opponents, even if they were non-criminal?” he repeated.