Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu has a cr!minal record with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), insisting that the documents being discussed do not establish criminality.

Omokri made the clarification during a podcast appearance in Abuja, where he argued that having a record with the FBI does not automatically mean that an individual has a criminal record.

According to him, a check conducted following a request from Nigerian authorities returned no evidence of criminal arrests, warrants or wanted status against Tinubu.

“People need to understand that a record and a criminal record are two different things. The FBI check that was conducted after a request from the Nigerian authorities came back negative for any criminal arrests, warrants or wanted status against President Tinubu.

The records being discussed by an opposition candidate are from a 1993 investigation. Somebody filed a Freedom of Information Act request to access those documents. Nothing from 2026 triggered them,” he stated.

Omokri also disclosed that his position on Tinubu changed after he personally investigated claims surrounding the President’s past.

He recalled travelling to Chicago with a witness who supports the opposition, saying they obtained evidence that Tinubu attended university there.

The ambassador-designate maintained that his views were shaped by what he described as his own investigation into the allegations rather than political considerations.