Calling Tinubu CIA asset mischievous – Reno Omokri

By KEMI KASUMU

It is mischievous to call President Bola Tinubu a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset, a former presidential aide, Pastor Reno Omokri, has said.

Omokri was reacting to trending media reports sparked by a Nigerian investigative Journalist, David Hundeyin, via his verified X post.

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The investigative journalist claimed that the CIA had confirmed that the sitting president currently in Nigeria was its intelligence asset, but Pastor Reno Omokri, a new found unofficial spokesman of President Tinubu, said the claim showed the claimants’ ignorance of the intelligence agency’s tradition.

“That is a preposterous lie. The CIA never constructively, effectively, or unintentionally confirmed or affirmed that President Bola Tinubu was a CIA asset,” he stated in a statement on Wednesday November 13, 2024.

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Omokri did not however deny that there was a case going on in the US court where CIA filed a response telling the court why investigated information about the Nigerian President could not be released to the claimants.

Investigative Journalist David Hundeyin had claimed that the CIA’s non-committal response to his organisation’s enquiry about President Tinubu’s alleged relationship with it was a confirmation that the president was its informant.

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His position has also been backed up in the many interpretations now available across the YouTube television channels and social media videos including that of Maiyegun, who said the attempt by CIA to deny Nigerians information about their president is an indication that Tinubu is western tool to ensure Nigeria would never do well.

Maiyegun hopes Donald Trump, when he takes over next year, will be interested in the Tinubu’s case as he is already launching a probe into activities of CIA, DEA, FBI and others.

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Maiyegun recalled it was the reason Tinubu, in response to demand by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s request for his academic records last year, said release such information would cause him irreparable damages.

Although the appeal curt went ahead ordering the release his academic records and caused deposition of same this making it a law, Hundeyin’s request for those of FBI, CIA and DEA did not scale through until currently he returned to the court.

However, Omokri said this conclusion displayed Hundeyin’s ignorance of the CIA’s processes, explaining that such enquiries and response were common place in the US.

“The CIA is notorious for denying these FOIA requests using the same language, which was quoted today by some persons who have concluded that the verbiage somehow confirms that President Bola Tinubu is a CIA asset,” he said.

He cited several cases, including Connell v. CIA, ACLU v. CIA, National Security Archive v. CIA, Federation of American Scientists v. CIA, and Freedom Watch, Inc. v. CIA, in which the spy agency refused to disclose requested information for the same reason.

He said, “In these cases, Nigerians can study the reasons the CIA gave for refusing the FOIA requests of these individuals and agencies. They will see that similar language was used that can be twisted to mean what the writer wants the public to think it is saying. Even if you file a FOIA request as a U.S. citizen or resident, the CIA will likely deny it.”

Omokri cautioned Nigerians against paying attention to mischief makers and contended that the document upon which Hundeyin and others based their claim did not confirm or suggest that Tinubu was a CIA asset by any stretch of the imagination.