Reno Omokri, ambassador-designate to Mexico, has defended President Bola Tinubu over the controversy surrounding his records with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), insisting that the existence of FBI records does not mean a person has a criminal record.
Omokri made the remarks during a City Boy Movement media one-on-one podcast hosted by Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, alongside selected journalists.
According to him, there is a clear distinction between an FBI record and a criminal record, arguing that records can be created through several forms of interaction with American institutions.
“There is no criminal FBI record against President Bola Tinubu. There’s nothing like that,” Omokri said.
He argued that people who have applied for US visas or undergone background checks may have records with American authorities, stressing that such records should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of criminal conduct.
Omokri further explained that FBI files may contain highly sensitive personal information, including biometric details.
“Your FBI record is going to contain biometrics, meaning that your fingerprints, your eye scan,” he said.
“It’s going to contain details about your body. It’s going to contain details about your blood group. It’s going to contain details about your DNA — not in all cases.”
He added that such records could also contain information relating to financial accounts and family members, questioning whether anyone would want such private information made public.
Omokri’s comments come amid an ongoing legal battle in the United States over requests for the release of FBI and other federal records relating to Tinubu.
The controversy centres on Freedom of Information Act requests filed by Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, seeking investigative records concerning Tinubu, including FBI interview records from 1992 and 1993.
The requests were connected to investigations into a Chicago-based heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s, with Tinubu among the individuals named in the requests.
Tinubu has previously forfeited $460,000 to US authorities in connection with allegations linked to heroin trafficking. He has denied wrongdoing.
In April 2025, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration had not established sufficient grounds to keep secret the fact that Tinubu had been the subject of a criminal investigation. She ordered the agencies to search for and process records that were not legally exempt from disclosure.
The latest proceedings have continued to focus on what information should be released and what should remain protected under US privacy laws.
Omokri, however, maintained that the existence of FBI records should not by itself be interpreted as proof that Tinubu committed a crime.
He also challenged those demanding the release of Tinubu’s records to be prepared to subject themselves to the same standard, arguing that sensitive personal information should not automatically be made public simply because it is held by a law enforcement agency.
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