Gambaryan Vs. Ribadu: The Billion-Dollar Bribery Allegation That Shook Nigeria

The ongoing saga between Tigran Gambaryan, a former Binance executive, and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has taken a dramatic turn following Gambaryan’s explosive allegations of bribery and political maneuvering at the highest levels of government.

Gambaryan, who was arrested in February 2024 and detained for months on money laundering charges, claims that Ribadu demanded billions to fund his political ambition. According to Gambaryan, the NSA made the demand while he was in detention, a period during which he had limited access to the outside world. This has raised serious questions about how and when such a conversation could have taken place.

The U.S. citizen, who was detained as part of the Nigerian government’s crackdown on cryptocurrency operations, initially managed to escape custody before being rearrested. Given the strict security around high-profile detainees, analysts argue that his initial escape could not have been possible without internal collusion within Nigeria’s security agencies.

While recounting his ordeal, Gambaryan took to social media to expose what he described as greed and corruption at the highest levels of the Nigerian government. He alleged that Ribadu overstepped his authority, embarrassed Nigeria before the White House, and even hired a U.S. law firm to negotiate his release, a move he claims failed due to incompetence and greed.

“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,” Gambaryan wrote on X, adding that these claims were later confirmed by the Turkish Ministry of Health.

He further alleged that Ribadu’s political ambitions led him to demand billions in payouts, but his plans fell apart when the corruption scandal came to light. According to Gambaryan, any settlement at that point would have been perceived as a bribe, leaving Ribadu “trapped.”

However, the Nigerian government has strongly denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless and unsubstantiated. Senator Ben Murray-Bruce even went as far as challenging Gambaryan to undergo a lie detector test in a neutral country to prove his claims.

With the allegations gaining traction, the case has become an international issue, with the U.S. reportedly imposing diplomatic restrictions on Nigerian officials during the UN General Assembly in response to the controversy.

For now, Gambaryan’s claims remain just that—claims. Without verifiable evidence such as recordings or testimonies from credible witnesses, proving that Ribadu directly demanded the alleged bribe remains a tall order. But in the court of public opinion, the damage may already be done.