FBI Document Shows Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's Actual Date of Birth

• A previously archived US diplomatic document has resurfaced, drawing fresh attention to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s personal records
• The document dates back more than two decades and contains a notable detail about the Nigerian leader
• It has now sparked renewed interest following its circulation on social media

A United States Embassy document dating back to 2003 has resurfaced online, listing Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's date of birth as March 29, 1952 in an FBI background check conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities.

The official correspondence, dated February 4, 2003, was drafted by Michael H. Bonner, then serving as Legal Attaché at the American Consulate in Lagos.

Bonner wrote in response to a formal inquiry submitted the previous day by Tafa Balogun, who was Nigeria's Inspector General of Police at the time.

The request asked whether the FBI's National Crime Information Centre (NCIC) held any adverse records linked to Tinubu.

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FBI check returned no criminal records

In his written reply, Bonner confirmed that a search of the federal registry produced no negative findings against the future Nigerian president.

"The result of the checks were negative for any criminal arrest records, wants, or warrants for Bola Ahmed Tinubu (DOB 29 March 1952), nor information of your department," Bonner wrote.

The NCIC functions as a centralised database maintained by the FBI, consolidating criminal arrest and conviction records from across the United States and its territories.

Bonner's letter clarified that the system does not capture civil litigation, foreign court proceedings, or financial history, meaning a clear result applies strictly to domestic US criminal records at the time of the search.

Reno Omokri shares archived document

Political activist and former presidential spokesman Reno Omokri brought the letter back into public circulation by posting it on X.

The copy he shared carried a certified true copy stamp from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Lagos State.

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The date of birth cited in the document, March 29, 1952, has attracted fresh attention given the long-running public debate surrounding the Nigerian president's personal background and age.

The letter does not settle broader biographical questions about Tinubu, but it does establish what US federal authorities formally recorded about him more than two decades ago.

Tinubu asks US court to block FBI file release

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had filed a petition in a US court over investigative files linked to a historical narcotics inquiry that had named him.

An American open-government campaigner had sued multiple US agencies to obtain the FBI's complete master file on Tinubu, including 1993 interview notes.

Tinubu's legal team had argued that releasing the unredacted files would have violated the Nigerian president's fundamental privacy protections under US law.

Source: YEN.com.gh