Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime at cryptocurrency firm Binance, who was detained in Nigeria for several months, has named three Nigerian lawmakers he claims demanded a $150 million bribe from him to avoid arrest and prosecution. The lawmakers he mentioned are Peter Akpanke, Philip Agbese, and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe.
Gambaryan, along with another Binance official, was detained by the Nigerian government last year on allegations of money laundering and facilitating criminal activities in the country. The charges were eventually dropped following intervention by the U.S. government, leading to his release. However, during his detention, Gambaryan alleges that he was subjected to a series of corrupt practices and illegal actions by Nigerian officials.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Gambaryan revealed shocking details about his ordeal, including the bribery attempt, fabricated evidence, and the misuse of power by Nigerian authorities.
Gambaryan recounted a meeting with Nigerian lawmakers, which he described as a "Mickey Mouse operation." He stated, "At the House meeting, there were three members present. Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name. They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in. As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets."
He also implicated other high-ranking officials, including Nuhu Ribadu, who allegedly sought billions in payouts to fund his political ambitions. "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," Gambaryan said.
Gambaryan dismissed the Nigerian government's claims that $26 billion had left the country through Binance as "complete BS." He explained that the figure represented cumulative trade data for Nigerians on the platform, not actual outflows. "This money didn’t leave Nigeria—it was just people buying and selling crypto. For example, if you trade $100 a hundred times, that’s $10,000 in trade volume, but in reality, you only used $100. Again, just another example of them lying to cover up their BS investigation," he said.
He also refuted claims that his colleague, Nadeem, had escaped during mosque prayers, stating that Nadeem had returned and fled afterward. Gambaryan revealed that Nigerian officials had admitted to fabricating evidence to secure a court order for their detention. "Belloji even admitted that he would fabricate evidence to obtain a court order to detain us for 14 days. Once the court order expired, they were unable to get an extension from the judge. At that point, they continued holding us illegally and had no justification for doing so," he said.
Gambaryan's detention sparked an international incident, with the U.S. government stepping in to secure his release. He accused Ribadu of overstepping his authority and embarrassing Nigeria on the global stage. "Ribadu overstepped his authority and embarrassed Nigeria in front of U.S. 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," he said.
He also criticized Nigerian officials for their incompetence, citing their failure to coordinate with immigration authorities, check passports for visas, and manage the situation diplomatically. "They mismanaged the situation internationally, creating an unnecessary diplomatic crisis," Gambaryan added.
During his detention, Gambaryan said he fell seriously ill but was denied proper medical care. He alleged that officials threatened administrators at Nizamiya Hospital, instructing them not to admit him or release his medical records to his attorneys. "They even threatened administrators at Nizamiya Hospital, instructing them not to admit me when I was extremely ill. Additionally, they pressured the hospital to withhold my medical records from my attorneys," he said.
Gambaryan concluded his post by expressing his disappointment with the Nigerian officials involved but emphasized his admiration for the Nigerian people. "I met amazing people in Nigeria. It's a shame that these muppets are in charge," he said.
He said:
"Some Unknown Facts- you can read the rest in the Wired article and the NPR story.
The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do.
At the House meeting, there were three members present. Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name. They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in. As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best.
@NuhuRibadu invited us to the official meeting and worked through Sa'ad Abubakar. Another key figure in this situation was Hamma Adama Belloji. Ogunjobi was just a pawn; they used him too. This was a sold as a friendly meeting with the NSA, the head of the SEC, and the CBN governor and include the discussion of the bribe that was solicited by the house of representatives.
The $26 billion figure they kept pushing publicly as some mystery money escaping Nigeria is complete BS. This information was provided in response to their request and was simply cumulative trade data for Nigerians on the platform. This money didn’t leave Nigeria—it was just people buying and selling crypto. For example, if you trade $100 a hundred times, that’s $10,000 in trade volume, but in reality, you only used $100. Again, just another example of them lying to cover up their BS investigation.
They lied about Nadeem escaping during mosque prayers. In reality, he returned and escaped afterward. I don’t know exactly how he managed to flee. He emailed me in November, but we haven’t discussed the details of his escape. It’s possible he paid someone off, but I have no proof. If Belloji had simply checked his passport for a visa, he would have realized that Nadeem did not use that passport to travel to Nigeria.
They sent a letter to the U.S. Embassy and the British High Commission, falsely claiming that we were voluntarily participating in strategic talks. This was a blatant lie.
Nadeem did not escape lawful detention—we were being held illegally. Belloji even admitted that he would fabricate evidence to obtain a court order to detain us for 14 days. Once the court order expired, they were unable to get an extension from the judge. At that point, they continued holding us illegally and had no justification for doing so.
There was a lot of noise about using Interpol to capture Nadeem. As someone who has been involved in multiple extradition cases, I can confidently say this was a joke. Extradition is a lengthy legal process, and no rational judge in Kenya or wherever would ever approve extradition for someone who escaped illegal detention at the hands of rogue law enforcement—especially when that detention involved holding employees hostage to pressure their employer. All noise.
They tried to use us to violate international privacy laws by demanding user data on all Nigerians to target opposition members allegedly "manipulating the price of the naira." However, they all knew that the naira’s devaluation was a direct result of Tinubu's monetary policy, which depegged the naira from the dollar. I’m not saying this policy decision was wrong, but everyone understood that removing government intervention would lead to extreme devaluation. Instead of acknowledging this, they used Binance as a scapegoat.
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 passports for visas
.Neglecting to coordinate with immigration to issue travel restrictions or alerts
.Mismanaging the situation internationally, creating an unnecessary diplomatic crisis
We had a strong working relationship with Nigerian law enforcement, but their greed destroyed all cooperation between Nigeria and the entire industry.
They even threatened administrators at Nizamiya Hospital, instructing them not to admit me when I was extremely ill. Additionally, they pressured the hospital to withhold my medical records from my attorneys. This was later confirmed by the Turkish Ministry of Health when my friend met with their officials in Turkey.
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 :)
Ribadu even hired a U.S. law firm to negotiate my release, but this failed due to their incompetence and greed.
Looking at you Idayat Hassan.
Ribadu overstepped his authority and embarrassed Nigeria in front of U.S. 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.
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."
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