In a surprising turn of events, two U.S. lawmakers, French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan, recently paid a visit to Tigran Gambaryan, an official from Binance who is currently held in Kuje Prison.
They have leveled serious accusations against President Bola Tinubu’s government, alleging that Mr. Gambaryan is being denied access to proper medical attention.
Mr. Hill and Mrs. Houlahan, along with a group of 14 other U.S. congressmen, penned a letter to President Joe Biden on June 4, urgently urging him to step in and secure Mr. Gambaryan’s release.
Expressing their concerns, Mr. Hill shared in a media statement, “Yesterday, Houlahan and I met with Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, in Kuje Prison in Nigeria.
We were appalled by the conditions he is enduring, as he battles malaria and double pneumonia, and has significantly lost weight. To make matters worse, he is being denied the adequate medical care he desperately needs.”
The American lawmaker firmly believes that Mr. Gambaryan is being wrongfully detained by the Nigerian authorities in Kuje Prison. He described the prison as a truly dreadful place and called upon President Tinubu to immediately release the detained Binance official.
While acknowledging the dismissal of tax-related charges against Mr. Gambaryan, Mr. Hill insists that he should be released without any further delay, and all remaining charges should be dropped.
Emphasizing the urgency, Mr. Hill stated, “It is imperative that Mr. Gambaryan be granted a humanitarian release immediately, all charges against him be dismissed, and he be allowed to return to his rightful home in America.”
The visit made by the U.S. lawmakers to Kuje Prison to meet with Mr. Gambaryan came after 16 American congressmen wrote to President Biden, urging him to intervene and secure the release of the detained Binance official.
They argued that the charges brought against him by the Nigerian authorities were baseless and merely a coercive tactic employed by the Tinubu government to extort Binance.
However, the Nigerian government, led by President Tinubu, vehemently denies holding Mr. Gambaryan hostage. They accuse Binance of engaging in illegal activities in Nigeria, which they believe have contributed to the country’s ongoing economic crisis.
