15th February, 2025
Ben Murray-Bruce, a Nigerian business magnate and politician, has backed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu over Tigran Gambaryan’s allegation of bribery.
Gambaryan, the head of financial crime at the cryptocurrency firm Binance, had accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser of seeking to personally benefit from Nigeria’s dispute with Binance.
He claimed that Mr Ribadu hired a US law firm to negotiate his release from detention while in Nigerian custody but the move failed due to their “incompetence and greed”.
Mr Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria for several months, made these allegations on Friday in a series of tweets posted on his X page.
“Ribadu emphasized that he wanted billions in payouts to fund his future political ambition. However, when the corruption scandal came to light, he was trapped—because any settlement would now be perceived as a bribe. I guess he really wanted his boss’ job,” Gambaryan alleged.
Reacting to the statement made by the Binance official, Ben Murray-Bruce said he is certain that Ribadu never demanded any benefit or bribe from anyone.
Murray-Bruce expressed frustration over baseless accusations damaging Nigeria’s reputation.
He believes Gambaryan is fortunate to have been allowed to leave, implying that Ribadu would have ensured he faced severe consequences if he had his way.
Ben Murray said: “I have known Mallam Nuhu Ribadu my entire life, and I can say with absolute certainty that he is incapable of the allegations being leveled against him. I challenge Tigran Gambaryan to undergo a lie detector test if he genuinely believes the claims he has made. It is exhausting to witness individuals repeatedly dragging Nigeria’s name through the mud with baseless accusations and fabricated evidence.
