Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigeria's Ambassador-Designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has firmly stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no criminal record with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or any other law enforcement agency, dismissing the growing controversy over the possible release of the President's records as a misleading attempt to weaponise non-criminal information. Omokri made the declaration during the City Boy Movement Podcast, anchored by Mr O'tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Abuja. He insisted that there is a fundamental difference between an FBI record and a criminal record, stressing that the existence of a file bearing the President's name does not equate to evidence of criminality. "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 declared. He added: "There is no criminal FBI record against President Bola Tinubu. There's nothing like that. A record is just that, a record; there is a difference between a record and a criminal record".
The controversy, which has dominated political discourse in recent weeks, stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has been seeking access to records relating to Tinubu from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The records in question are connected to a 1993 investigation into a Chicago heroin ring, during which Tinubu was mentioned, although he was never the target of the investigation. In August 2026, Tinubu asked a US District Court to reject Greenspan's motion for summary judgment, arguing that the documents are protected by privacy provisions under US law. The FBI subsequently submitted the records under seal to Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on August 28, 2026, for private judicial review.
Omokri, who previously worked politically with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, explained that his current defence of President Tinubu is based on what he described as incontrovertible evidence obtained through personal investigation. He recalled travelling to Chicago State University in 2022, when he was still a member of the opposition, to investigate claims about Tinubu's educational background, and was given "incontrovertible evidence that Tinubu attended the school". He also obtained certified true copies of documents relating to Tinubu's civil forfeiture case, which he said "established beyond reasonable doubt that I was wrong" about his earlier perception of the President. "This man was not who I thought he was," Omokri said. He stressed that his support for Tinubu is based on facts and policy outcomes, not political loyalty.
To further substantiate his claim, Omokri referenced a 2003 exchange in which the then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, wrote to the US Embassy seeking information on any FBI criminal records involving Tinubu, who was then Governor of Lagos State. According to Omokri, the embassy responded the following day giving what he described as "the all clear". He challenged anyone questioning the authenticity of the correspondence to seek confirmation from the US Embassy. Omokri also made a startling revelation that all the major presidential candidates in the last election cycle, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have FBI records, and that those records are not necessarily criminal. He urged Nigerians to distinguish between the existence of government files and evidence of criminal conduct.
The ambassador-designate also addressed the nature of FBI records, explaining that the FBI maintains extensive non-criminal files on American citizens, residents, and foreign nationals through its Central Records Systems and Next Generation Identification database. He noted that routine processes such as US visa applications trigger mandatory background screenings that generate records. According to Omokri, FBI records can contain personal biometric and biographical information, including fingerprints, DNA, eye scans, blood group, and banking records. "Who, here, will want that information out?" he asked. He argued that private, non-criminal records should not be weaponised by political opponents.
Omokri's defence of President Tinubu comes amid growing political tension ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The controversy over the FBI records has been seized upon by opposition figures, including Peter Obi, who has faulted Tinubu's bid to block the release of the records, describing it as embarrassing. However, Omokri has urged Nigerians to evaluate Tinubu's administration through measurable outcomes rather than political sentiments. He listed fuel-subsidy removal, exchange-rate reform, devolution of powers and student loans among policies he said were previously advocated by the opposition but are now being implemented by the President. Omokri also defended fuel-subsidy removal, arguing that restoring the policy would place unsustainable financial pressure on Nigeria and encourage petroleum products to flow into neighbouring countries, worsening the nation's economic burden.
The FBI records controversy has not been resolved, as the court has yet to order a full public release of the contested documents. Judge Howell is expected to examine the material and determine what information, if any, can eventually be made public. Tinubu has denied any wrongdoing and has not been convicted of a criminal offence arising from the 1993 investigation. As the legal battle continues and the 2027 elections approach, Omokri's defence of the President has drawn both support and criticism, with some Nigerians questioning the timing and motivation of his intervention. However, the ambassador-designate has remained firm, stating: "I think that I will defend the truth, whether or not I'm an ambassador or anything. Before the President appointed me, I was defending the truth".
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