Ambassador-designate Reno Omokri has dismissed reports making the rounds in the Nigerian media that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has criminal records on President Bola Tinubu.
Omokri, who has been nominated as Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, described the reports as misleading and politically driven.
He faulted recent headlines claiming that the FBI had submitted Tinubu’s criminal files to US District Judge Beryl Howell of the District of Columbia.
According to Omokri, opponents of the president were using “clever semantics” to mislead Nigerians and create a false impression about the nature of the FBI records.
What Omokri Found During His Chicago Visit
Omokri said he personally travelled to Chicago, Illinois, from September 18 to 20, 2022, while he was still associated with the opposition, to investigate claims surrounding Tinubu’s academic and other records in the United States.
He said his findings during the trip showed that the allegations were unfounded.
The ambassador-designate acknowledged that the FBI could have records containing Tinubu’s name but stressed that such records should not automatically be interpreted as criminal records.
Omokri explained that the FBI maintains various non-criminal records on millions of individuals, including people from outside the United States, through systems such as its Central Records System and Next Generation Identification database.
He noted that people who have applied for US visas may have records with the FBI because of background checks conducted by the bureau for the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security.
Such files, he said, may contain information such as fingerprints, DNA, bank statements and other biographical or biometric details, but the presence of such information does not mean the individual has a criminal record.
2003 US Embassy Clearance Letter
Addressing the specific allegation concerning criminal records, Omokri referred to a correspondence from Monday, February 3, 2003.
He said the then Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, wrote to the US Embassy requesting FBI information concerning Bola Tinubu, who was serving as governor of Lagos State at the time.
According to Omokri, the US Embassy responded the following day and reported a clear outcome, stating that there were no criminal records associated with Tinubu’s name.
He said the response was consistent with the findings from his own investigation in Chicago in 2022.
Omokri also challenged anyone who questions the authenticity of the letter to verify it directly with the US Embassy.
He provided the Abuja consular email address, ConsularAbuja@state.gov, for members of the public seeking confirmation.
“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,” Omokri said.
He further maintained that although FBI databases could contain records bearing Tinubu’s name, such information should not be classified as criminal records.
Omokri also argued that releasing an individual’s private biographical or financial information to political opponents would amount to an invasion of privacy.
He subsequently shared the document on X, inviting the public to examine the material for themselves.
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