Ribadu: Questions for Gambaryan, By Awaal Gata

NSA Nuhu Ribadu

…Gambaryan’s allegations do not hold up under scrutiny. He has failed to provide evidence, ignored inconvenient facts, and relied on public sentiment rather than legal arguments. Nigeria is right to demand accountability from foreign companies operating within its borders. And Ribadu, a man who has built his career on transparency and integrity, deserves better than to be the scapegoat for Binance’s misdeeds.

Tigran Gambaryan’s recent accusations against Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, are as reckless as they are unsubstantiated. If the former Binance executive hoped to sway public opinion by casting himself as a victim of corruption, he has sorely miscalculated. His claims raise more questions than answers — questions that expose the contradictions and convenient omissions in his narrative.

First, if there was any truth to his allegation that Nigerian officials, including Ribadu, solicited bribes from Binance, why did his lawyers not present this claim in court during his trial? The judicial process exists for precisely this reason — to examine claims and counterclaims under the scrutiny of evidence. If such a damning accusation had any basis, surely his legal team would have seized the opportunity to put it on record where it matters most. Instead, he waited until after his release to peddle his claims on social media.

Second, Gambaryan insists that Binance was unfairly targeted and that he was wrongfully detained. If this is true, why did his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, flee from lawful custody? The decision to escape, rather than defend oneself in an open court, is an implicit admission of guilt. If Binance’s dealings in Nigeria were legitimate, Anjarwalla would have had no reason to run. His escape raises serious doubts about the innocence that Gambaryan claims.

Third, could it be that Gambaryan is simply bitter because the Nigerian government, under Ribadu’s watch, ended Binance’s reign of financial manipulation in the country? Nigeria had become a playground for illicit transactions facilitated through Binance, activities that would have been impossible in the United States or other developed economies. His frustration appears to stem not from injustice but from the disruption of an operation that exploited regulatory loopholes in an emerging market.

Fourth, would Gambaryan be honest enough to admit that his release had little to do with proving his innocence and everything to do with diplomatic pressure from the Biden administration? It is no secret that international politics often intervenes in high-profile cases involving foreign nationals. His newfound courage to accuse Nigerian officials only emerged after his return to the US — a sign that he is more interested in salvaging his own image than in exposing genuine wrongdoing.

Fifth, before attempting to smear Ribadu, did Gambaryan bother to research the many documented cases where the NSA has rejected bribes, including the infamous $15 million offered by James Ibori during his tenure as EFCC chairman? Ribadu’s legacy is one of defying corruption at a time when doing so carried real personal risk. To suggest that he would now, at the peak of his career, compromise that reputation for a bribe defies both logic and history.

Sixth, does Gambaryan realise that his argument is a textbook example of a straw man fallacy? Rather than defending Binance’s financial operations in Nigeria, he has chosen to shift the conversation by making baseless allegations against those who held him accountable. This is a classic tactic of someone in need of redemption — but he has picked the wrong target.

Finally, why is Gambaryan silent on Binance’s own track record of infractions, fines, and bans in multiple countries? If Nigeria’s actions against Binance were truly unjustified, why have regulators in the US, Europe, and Asia taken similar stances? His attempt to paint Binance as a victim ignores the reality that the company has been embroiled in financial crimes across the world.

In the end, Gambaryan’s allegations do not hold up under scrutiny. He has failed to provide evidence, ignored inconvenient facts, and relied on public sentiment rather than legal arguments. Nigeria is right to demand accountability from foreign companies operating within its borders. And Ribadu, a man who has built his career on transparency and integrity, deserves better than to be the scapegoat for Binance’s misdeeds.

Awaal Gata, a media practitioner and public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.