Arrested Binance Executives Fight Back, Sue Nigerian Security Agency, Anti Graft Agencies

In Abuja on March 28, two executives from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, have filed a lawsuit against Nigeria's national security adviser's office and the anti-graft agency, alleging violations of their fundamental rights and seeking their release.

Tigran Gambaryan, Binance's head of financial crime compliance and a U.S. citizen, along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance's regional manager for Africa and a British-Kenyan, were detained upon arrival in Nigeria on Feb. 26, following the country's ban on several cryptocurrency trading websites.

Anjarwalla recently fled the country and now faces the possibility of an international arrest warrant. In a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, Gambaryan appeared, requesting the judge to declare his detention and passport seizure by the National Security Adviser and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty under Nigeria's constitution.

The executives, who claim they were not informed of any offenses committed, are seeking an order for their release and the return of their passports, along with a public apology and a restraining order from further detention. The judge adjourned the hearing to April 8 due to the absence of lawyers representing the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the EFCC in court.

Gambaryan and Anjarwalla became embroiled in a crackdown following the emergence of several cryptocurrency websites as preferred platforms for trading the Nigerian currency amid the country's struggle with chronic dollar shortages.

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