Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime of crypto firm Binance, who was detained in Nigeria for several months, has accused the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, of seeking some billion before his (Gambaryan) release from detention.
Gambaryan was detained in February 2024 and released in October 2024 after the Nigerian government dropped money laundering charges against him following U.S. diplomatic pressure.
In a series of tweets posted on Friday, Binance executive chief claimed that Ribadu demanded billions in payouts to fund his political ambitions.
He also alleged that Ribadu hired a U.S. law firm to negotiate his release, but the firm’s incompetence and greed led to the effort’s failure.
According to Gambaryan, Ribadu exceeded his authority and embarrassed Nigeria before former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, resulting in diplomatic fallout.
He claimed this led the U.S. to restrict visas for the Nigerian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly and that then President Joe Biden declined to meet with President Tinubu until the matter was resolved.
Providing insight into the meeting, he claimed the Nigerian officials were driven by greed and stated, “Ribadu emphasised that he wanted billions in payouts to fund his future political ambition.”
He noted that when the corruption scandal came to light, “he was trapped—because any settlement would now be perceived as a bribe. I guess he really wanted his boss’ job”.
Gambaryan said, “In the end, Ribadu overestimated his influence. They thought they could secure a quick win, but instead, they created an international incident, exposing his incompetence on a global scale.
“That’s it’s for me for now. I don’t want to dwell on this, but it’s important for Nigerians to get the facts. I met amazing people in Nigeria. It’s a shame that these muppets are in charge.”
