Former Binance Head of Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, has accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, of embarrassing the country on the international stage.
Gambaryan alleged that Ribadu’s actions led to diplomatic consequences, including preventing a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and former U.S. President Joe Biden during the last United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
He made these claims in a series of posts on X, where he criticized Ribadu’s handling of his case and its broader impact on Nigeria’s international relations. He noted that Ribadu’s alleged missteps also caused embarrassment before the former U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Gambaryan wrote: “Ribadu even hired a US law firm to negotiate my release, but this failed due to their incompetence and greed.
“Ribadu overstepped his authority and embarrassed Nigeria in front of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“Ribadu acting like an asshole angered the White House and led to diplomatic repercussions — the US limited visas to the Nigerian delegation for UNGA, and Biden refused to meet with Tinubu until my situation was resolved.
“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 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.”
Gambaryan’s detention in Nigeria was tied to allegations of money laundering involving Binance.
In 2024, he spent eight months in detention after being arrested amid the Nigerian government’s crackdown on cryptocurrency operations. Authorities accused Binance of allowing $26 billion to be moved through its platform without proper tracking, a claim made by Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged both Binance and Gambaryan in April 2024. However, by October 2024, reports confirmed that the Federal Government had withdrawn the money laundering charges against him.
They also detained innocent EFCC detectives who weren’t even present when Nadeem “escaped.” If anyone should have been detained, it was Belloji, for multiple basic law enforcement failures, incompetence, and negligence- including:
.Failing to search our belongings
.Not checking…— Tigran Gambaryan (@TigranGambaryan) February 14, 2025
