The Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja has fastened November 27, 2025, for judgment on a compensation bid filed by ex-Binance Head of {Financial} Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, towards Nigeria’s Workplace of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) over what his authorized group describes as “extended detention” in Nigeria.
Justice Mohammed Umar fastened the judgment date after the authorized groups for each events adopted their processes, Nairametrics reliably gathered.
Nairametrics experiences that the case, filed by Gambaryan, seeks the award of prices towards the NSA and EFCC over his alleged extended detention by safety operatives in reference to the Federal Authorities’s cash laundering and international alternate contravention allegations towards Binance, a number one cryptocurrency platform.
Nairametrics beforehand reported that on June 19, 2024, Gambaryan’s counsel, Tonye Krukrubo (SAN) and Sunday Agaji, knowledgeable the court docket of their proposed amended originating movement for the enforcement of their shopper’s basic rights within the swimsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/356/2024.
Gambaryan’s lawyer had requested Justice Inyang Ekwo to compel the NSA and the EFCC to apologize for his shopper’s detention within the nation.
In his preliminary basic rights swimsuit, Gambaryan alleged that the Federal Authorities was utilizing his extended detention “as leverage to proceed making calls for on Binance.”
In his grounds of software, Krukrubo instructed the court docket that his shopper, an American citizen, visited Nigeria on February 26, 2024, together with Nadeem Anjarwalla, solely to honor an invite by Mr. Saad Abubakar of the NSA and Mr. Olalekan Ogunjobi of the EFCC for a gathering with authorities officers as representatives of Binance.
He added that after honoring the invitation, his shopper — who shouldn’t be a board member of Binance — was detained.
The senior lawyer urged the court docket to carry that:
“The illegal detention of the applicant (Gambaryan) by the respondents from February 26, 2024, to February 27, 2024 (interval of detention earlier than the remand order), and from March 12, 2024, to April 8, 2024 (interval of detention after the remand order expired till arraignment) has triggered immense hardship and emotional stress to the applicant, his spouse, youngsters, and different members of his household.”
Nevertheless, the respondents countered Gambaryan’s submissions on June 21, 2024.
Within the EFCC’s movement dated July 2, 2024, and seen by Nairametrics on February 5, 2025, Olanrewaju Adeola drew the court docket’s consideration to Go well with and Cost No. FHC/ABJ/CR/138/2024 within the case of Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Binance Holdings Ltd & Anor (the applicant on this swimsuit), filed on March 28, 2024, and at the moment pending earlier than Justice Emeka Nwite.
The case earlier than Justice Nwite entails allegations of cash laundering and international alternate contraventions towards Binance.
Adeola emphasised the significance of contemplating the information introduced in Nwite’s proceedings to make sure a simply determination.
In early 2024, the Federal Authorities of Nigeria accused the Binance cryptocurrency alternate of influencing international alternate (FX) charges, resulting in stricter regulatory and authorized scrutiny of crypto buying and selling platforms.
On February 28, 2024, Nigerian authorities detained two senior Binance executives: Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British-Kenyan who served because the Regional Supervisor for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, a 39-year-old American who was the Head of {Financial} Crime Compliance at Binance on the time.
Nairametrics experiences that each executives filed basic rights fits towards Nigerian authorities businesses, citing violations of their constitutional proper to liberty.
Anjarwalla’s case was later struck out for lack of diligent prosecution.
The duo was additionally charged by the EFCC and the Federal Inland Income Service (FIRS), alongside Binance, with tax evasion, international alternate contravention, and cash laundering.
Anjarwalla later escaped from detention and fled Nigeria, whereas Gambaryan remained in custody based mostly on a court docket order.
The FIRS and EFCC later amended their expenses, naming Binance as the only real defendant.
Gambaryan was finally launched by the Nigerian authorities on well being grounds.
