Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime at the cryptocurrency firm Binance, has accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of seeking to personally benefit from Nigeria’s dispute with Binance.
The official also claimed that Mr Ribadu hired a US law firm to negotiate his release from detention while in Nigerian custody but the move failed due to their “incompetence and greed”.
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Mr Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria for several months, made these allegations on Friday in a series of tweets posted on his X page.
“Ribadu emphasized that he wanted billions in payouts to fund his future political ambition. However, 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,” he said.
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He claimed that the NSA “overstepped” his authority and “embarrassed” Nigeria in front of the then-US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan.
“Ribadu acting like an asshole angered the White House and led to diplomatic repercussions—the U.S. limited visas to the Nigerian delegation for UNGA, and Biden refused to meet with Tinubu until my situation was resolved,” Mr Gambaryan said.
He also claimed that Mr Ribadu, a renowned anti-corruption chief who led some negotiations with the Binance team, overestimated his influence, thinking “they could secure a quick win, but instead, they created an international incident, exposing his incompetence on a global scale.”
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PREMIUM TIMES reached out to the NSA’s spokesperson, Zakari Mijinyawa, for a reaction to the claims. He has yet to reply to our WhatsApp messages and calls.
Mr Gambaryan did not provide any documentary evidence to back his claims and this newspaper has yet to determine the veracity of his allegations. But Mr Ribadu is reputed for his anti-corruption stance and is globally acclaimed for his uncomprosing fight against graft. Some Nigerians doubted the Binance official’s allegation against the NSA, saying Mr Ribadu’s antecedents do not suggest he can demand bribe from Binance or anyone else.
Mr Ribadu was the pioneer chair of Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was removed from that position when he insisted on prosecuting the then governor of Delta State, James Ibori, for embezzling his state’s funds. Mr Ibori even offered him $15 million bribe, which he rejected.
Earlier on Friday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Gambaryan named three Nigerian lawmakers who he also claimed demanded a $150 million bribe from him to stave off his arrest and prosecution.
He said the three House of Representatives members were Peter Akpanke, Philip Agbese and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe.
Mr Gambaryan and another Binance official, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who escaped from detention months before his colleague was freed, were detained by the Nigerian government after their firm was accused of money laundering and encouraging criminality in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government dropped all charges against Mr Gambaryan in October last year following the intervention of the US government and he was eventually released from detention.
On Friday, Mr Gambaryan said: “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.”
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