Reno Omokri Regrets Calling Tinubu ‘Drug Lord’ After US Probe

Former presidential aide and ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has admitted that he was wrong to describe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “drug lord”.

Omokri said his position changed after he personally travelled to the United States to investigate claims surrounding Tinubu’s academic records and alleged involvement in drug-related activities.

He disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he explained how his investigation in Chicago in 2022 changed his understanding of the allegations against the president.

Omokri said he had initially relied on reports circulating in the Nigerian media before deciding to independently verify the claims.

According to him, he travelled to Chicago on September 18, 2022, and visited Chicago State University the following day.

He said the institution provided him with materials that confirmed Tinubu attended the university.

“I honestly believed what the media reported. Like most Nigerians, probably you who believe me, but I did something that no other Nigerian did. I went to Chicago,” he said.

Omokri said his visit to the university gave him access to documentary and photographic materials concerning Tinubu’s time at the institution.

“They gave me documentary evidence, photographic evidence, newspaper clippings, and then they have a hall where the president is there because the president is an alumnus,” he said.

The former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan said the information he obtained forced him to reconsider his earlier position.

He said he was prepared to make the correction publicly, even though doing so could affect his political standing at the time.

“Right there in Chicago, I came out, even though it was against my own political best interest, and I said, Look, it is not true,” he said.

Omokri also spoke about records relating to Tinubu’s dealings with United States authorities.

He said he examined information concerning a 2003 check on Tinubu and found no criminal arrest record or outstanding warrant against the president.

“The results of the checks were negative for any criminal arrest records, once, or warrant, for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

The statement comes amid recent attention on documents concerning Tinubu’s past dealings with US authorities.

Omokri maintained that the existence of an investigation in the United States should not automatically be interpreted as proof that Tinubu was the person being criminally investigated.

“There was an investigation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the subject of the investigation. The president was not the person that was being investigated,” he said.

He was also asked about the long-running controversy surrounding the forfeiture of about $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu in the United States.

The issue dates back to the early 1990s and has remained one of the major points repeatedly raised by critics of the president.

The money was forfeited following a civil proceeding in the United States.

Omokri maintained that the proceeding should not be presented as a criminal conviction against Tinubu.

“The money was forfeited to the US government in a case connected to a wider investigation into heroin trafficking. The proceeding was a civil forfeiture case rather than a criminal conviction of Mr Tinubu.”

The former presidential aide said the issue could still become a political weapon ahead of the 2027 elections.

He noted that Tinubu’s political opponents could rely on the old US records and the forfeiture controversy during campaigns, despite his own withdrawal of the “drug lord” allegation.

Recall in January 2026, a video of Omokri referring to Tinubu as a “drug lord” was admitted as evidence at the Federal High Court in Abuja during proceedings involving Sowore.

The video was tendered by Sowore’s legal team during the case.

Omokri has since publicly acknowledged that his earlier claims were based on information he believed at the time to be correct.

In January, he also explained that he had apologised directly to Tinubu after discovering that some of the claims he previously made were not accurate.

He said he met the president privately on October 1, 2024, and apologised for his earlier statements.

Omokri has subsequently become a supporter of the Tinubu administration and was nominated by the president as an ambassador-designate to Mexico.

Omokri also revisited his investigation into allegations made against former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

He said he undertook a similar fact-finding trip after allegations surfaced linking Obi to drug trafficking.

According to Omokri, he travelled to Peru to investigate the claims and spoke with officials there.

He said the information he obtained did not support the allegations against Obi.

“I went to Peru. When, if you remember, they accused Peter Obi of also being a drug lord. I went. I interviewed the Peruvian officials and I said, you know, Peter Obi is innocent. There’s nothing there,” he said.