‘Nigerian leaders more interested in enriching themselves than welfare of citizens’ –Ex Binance chief
A former staff member of a US-based crypto company, Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, has alleged that Nigeria is run by a lawless regime that relies on thugs more interested in enriching themselves than taking care of their citizens.
Gambaryan stated this in response to a tweet by the US Secretary of Defence, Peter Hegseth, on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Hegseth had warned the Nigerian government to take action fast on the issues raised by US President Donald Trump on the killing of Christians in the country, or face a possible intervention by the US.
Gambaryan took to X to air his opinion on the issue. Using his handle, @TigranGambaryan, he wrote:
“Nigeria is currently run by a lawless regime that relies on criminals and thugs more interested in enriching themselves than in taking care of their citizens. Cowboy up.
Gambaryan’s former boss and founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, had also responded to the trending news about Nigeria, by stating that the Nigerian government ‘kidnapped’ his staff (Gambaryan) about a year ago.
He alleged that the staff was held for eight months without a cause. The tweet has since been deleted.
However, Gambaryan saw it before it was deleted and reacted to it. He wrote:
“Thanks @cz_binance. Then they bragged about extorting the Biden administration out of $50 million to release me. @realDonaldTrump @WhiteHouse @RepMcCormick @RepFrenchHill”
It would be recalled that Tigran Gambaryan, who was the Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance Holdings at the time, was arrested in Nigeria in February 2024 during talks with government officials about the cryptocurrency exchange’s operations.
He was held alongside his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, on allegations of money laundering and tax evasion.
Anjarwalla later escaped custody in March, while Gambaryan remained at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where reports indicated that his health deteriorated over time.
In October 2024, Nigerian authorities dropped all charges against Gambaryan, leading to his release under what was described as a diplomatic and humanitarian intervention.
The ex-Binance chief has since publicly refuted the Central Bank of Nigeria’s assertion that $26 billion had been transferred out of the country through Binance.
He said that the figure represented total trading volume rather than actual money leaving Nigeria.
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