Tinubu Govt Extorted $50 Million from U.S. to Release Me — Ex-Binance Executive Alleges
Tigran Gambaryan, a former Binance executive and ex-U.S. federal agent, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of extorting $50 million from the Joe Biden-led U.S. government to secure his release from detention in Nigeria.
PulseNets learnt that Gambaryan made the claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, where he expressed gratitude to his former employer while alleging that Nigerian officials boasted about the payment.
“Thanks to @cz_binance. They even bragged about extorting the Biden administration out of $50 million to release me,” Gambaryan wrote, tagging the White House and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
PulseNets reported that his comment came in reaction to an earlier post by Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder of Binance, who accused the Nigerian government of unlawfully detaining Gambaryan for eight months without justification.
“Nigeria basically kidnapped Tigran Gambaryan, an ex-Binance employee and former U.S. federal agent, for 8 months without cause,” Zhao wrote.
The allegation surfaced shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a fiery statement threatening to sanction Nigeria and launch a military strike against terrorist groups in the country’s northern region. In his words:
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country — guns blazing — to wipe out the terrorists committing these atrocities.”
PulseNets obtained reports suggesting that Trump also directed the U.S. Department of Defense to “prepare for possible action,” warning that any U.S. military response would be “swift, vicious, and sweet.”
Analysts who spoke to PulseNets observed that Gambaryan’s claim, if substantiated, could strain diplomatic relations between Abuja and Washington. They noted that the magnitude of the alleged ransom and its connection to the Tinubu administration could attract international scrutiny.
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Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has not issued any official statement regarding the accusation. Officials contacted by PulseNets declined to comment on the matter.
The controversy surrounding Gambaryan’s detention has reignited debate over Nigeria’s handling of cryptocurrency regulation, foreign investor protection, and the country’s broader image in global finance.
