Tigran Gambaryan, a former US federal agent and Binance employee, has made startling allegations against the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu following his release from detention in Nigeria.
In January 2024, Gambaryan was detained by law enforcement officials in the country.
In a long social media post, he claimed the experience involved shady dealings, international tensions, and the figure of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
According to Gambaryan, Ribadu exceeded his authority and embarrassed Nigeria before former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, resulting in diplomatic fallout.
He claims 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 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 further said Ribadu overstepped his authority and embarrassed Nigeria in front of former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
He said, “Ribadu acting like an asshole angered the White House and led to diplomatic repercussions”, which he said led to the United States’ limited visas to the Nigerian delegation for United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and Biden’s refusal to meet with Tinubu until “my situation was resolved”.
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.”
He, however, explained that Nigeria’s secret police Department of State Services (DSS) was involved in the House of Representatives matter.
Recall that in October 2024, the federal government withdrew the money laundering charges filed against Gambaryan.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, in April 2024, arraigned Binance and Gambaryan over alleged money laundering.
This followed a clampdown on the cryptocurrency firm over alleged manipulation of the naira.
