Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over renewed controversy surrounding US law-enforcement records, insisting that an FBI investigation linked to people associated with the President did not target him personally.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Omokri acknowledged that an investigation took place but argued that Tinubu’s involvement was limited to his role as an accountant who held funds belonging to clients who were under investigation.
“There was an investigation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the subject of that investigation,” Omokri said.
He explained that American authorities had identified certain funds connected to Tinubu’s clients as suspicious and that the accounts holding the money were eventually forfeited.
“The President was an accountant, and then the President had client funds. Those persons had been indicted by the FBI,” he said, adding that the forfeiture was directed at the accounts rather than Tinubu himself.
Omokri also referred to a 2003 FBI document which, according to him, contained the outcome of checks carried out on Tinubu. He claimed the record did not show any criminal arrest record or outstanding warrant against the President.
The ambassador-designate maintained that the existence of an FBI investigation should not be confused with an investigation of Tinubu himself.
“There was an investigation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the subject of that investigation,” he reiterated.
He declined to identify the individuals who were investigated, saying he would not expose their families to possible consequences.
His comments come amid renewed efforts and legal proceedings surrounding access to US records relating to an investigation dating back to the 1990s. The dispute involves 399 pages of documents identified through Freedom of Information Act proceedings, some of which have reportedly been withheld or redacted.
Omokri declined to discuss the contents of the records in detail, citing the pending court case. He also opposed the release of potentially sensitive information, arguing that the documents could contain biometric, family and financial details.
According to him, publishing such material could give political opponents information that could be exploited against Tinubu.
“You don’t want those records in the hands of your enemies,” he said.
Omokri’s comments are likely to add another layer to the ongoing debate over the US records, particularly the distinction between an investigation involving individuals connected to Tinubu and an investigation directly targeting the President himself.
