By Tgnews
259 Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of the Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) have urged Nigerians to disregard the “wild claims and allegations” of corruption levelled against some lawmakers, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, saying the American should not be taken seriously as he’s working in collaboration with some disgruntled Nigerian politicians and their foreign collaborators to cause chaos and destabilise the country.
COTER warned that Gambaryan’s bribery allegations were aimed at instigating widespread hatred for Ribadu, the security agencies and ultimately the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
The Coalition stated this in a statement on Sunday, warning of secret plans by Binance to “surreptitiously cause chaos in Nigeria through these false allegations,” adding, “The company’s major aim and objective is to sabotage and destabilise Nigeria.”
The company’s major aim and objective is to sabotage and destabilise Nigeria
Recall that Gambaryan, who was detained for eight months in Nigeria over alleged corruption, had in a post on X on Friday, raised the allegations of bribery against the Nigerian officials and security agencies. But he failed to provide any evidence to support his claims.
In another post on X on Saturday, Gambaryan again reiterated his corruption allegations against the Nigerian officials and security agencies.
But COTER’s statement jointly signed by its President, Dr Peter Chima Chukwu and General Secretary, Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko, described Gambaryan’s allegations against the three lawmakers, the NSA, the DSS and the EFCC as “unfounded and unsubstantiated,” saying the Binance executive and his collaborators “meant much more than just the corruption allegations.”
“Their major objective is to cause chaos and ultimately destabilise the country,” it added.
COTER noted that nothing but blatant and unsubstantiated lies can be expected from a discredited financial company like Binance, a firm that has been banned and heavily fined by courts in many countries across the world for various illegalities, gross infractions and financial crimes perpetrated through its notorious operations.
We’re appalled by the unfounded gargantuan allegations levelled against the three Nigerian lawmakers, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The coalition’s statement partly read, “That we’re appalled by the unfounded gargantuan allegations levelled against the three Nigerian lawmakers, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the shameless and unscrupulous Binance executive, Gambaryan, is, to say the least, an understatement.
Of course, the Nigerian government and the three lawmakers mentioned by Gambaryan have swiftly denied the allegations as baseless and false.
“Also, the two Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigators mentioned by Gambaryan – Saad Abubakar and Bello Hamma-Adama – we’ve discovered, were uncompromising and very professional in their conduct throughout their investigation of the Binance officials, contrary to the wild allegations now made against them. In fact, the two EFCC officers were very thorough and effective in detecting all the infractions, vices and financial crimes perpetrated by Binance against Nigeria.
“Mentioning NSA Ribadu as part of the bribery allegation has also been found to be a figment of the infantine imagination of Binance and Gambaryan. The NSA, it has been found out, had no direct contact with Binance and Gambaryan before and throughout the period of his detention in Nigeria. So, his claim that Ribadu needed money to prosecute an election during that period is hollow and doesn’t have any iota of truth. There was infact no any election ahead for Ribadu or anyone to contest during that period. So, this allegation is unfounded, a blatant lie by Gambaryan.”
They are still smarting from their ban from operating their dubious and discredited business in the country due to its misadventures, which constituted economic crimes and sabotage against the country
COTER noted that Binance and Gambaryan made the bribery allegations because they “are still smarting from their ban from operating their dubious and discredited business in the country due to its misadventures, which constituted economic crimes and sabotage against the country.”
The coalition drew the attention of Nigerians to the illegal activities of Binance across the world, which has earned the company ban and fines running to billions to dollars in different countries of the world.
It accused Binance of colluding with some disgruntled and unpatriotic Nigerians as well as their foreign collaborators to undermine the administration of President Tinubu by sponsoring economic and financial terrorist activities as represented by Binance’s illegal activities in the country.
The coalition therefore challenged Binance and Gambaryan to prove their corruption allegations against Nigeria, failure of which the government should not hesitate to activate appropriate diplomatic actions for redress.
COTER hereby calls on the Federal Government to immediately launch comprehensive investigations to uncover the identities of the Nigerian citizens working in collaboration with Binance
COTER also called on the government to identify the Nigerian collaborators of Binance for prosecution.
The coalition said, “COTER hereby calls on the Federal Government to immediately launch comprehensive investigations to uncover the identities of the Nigerian citizens working in collaboration with Binance for appropriate punishment.
“We believe that the various security agencies should be given the clearance and authorisation to perform their constitutional duty of investigating, arresting and questioning all those suspected of colluding with Binance to tarnish Nigeria’s image, no matter how highly placed they may be. If found wanting, they must be punished appropriately.”
The full text of the COTER statement reads as follows:
BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS AGAINST RIBADU: BINANCE EXECUTIVE GAMBARYAN’S UNSUBSTANTIATED WILD CLAIMS DESERVE NOBODY’S SERIOUS ATTENTION.- 259 CSOs
“Our group, Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) is an umbrella body of 259 anti-corruption, civil society and human rights groups spread across the country. We are a Non-Governmental Organisation serving as watchdog of government policies and society in general.
“We are a law-abiding and patriotic organisation whose major and ultimate objective is probity and transparency in government for quality socio-economic reforms.
“Our numerous anti-corruption activities and actions are aimed at assisting government and the Nigerian people to effectively tackle corruption and corrupt tendencies in high places and achieve probity and transparency for the ultimate benefits of all citizens.
“COTER has consistently striven to ensure accountability, probity and transparency in governance at all levels in Nigeria and these we have been able to achieve through various anti-corruption rallies, press conferences, awareness and sensitisation programmes, enlightenment and engagement of government officials at all levels as well as the Nigerian people, which we organise on a regular basis.
“Recent outbursts by Head of Financial Crime Compliance at the discredited cryptocurrency firm, Binance, Tigran Gambaryan that the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and three Nigerian lawmakers allegedly demanded for bribe from him while in detention for financial crimes against Nigeria have continued to elicit concerns in various quarters, necessitating COTER’s decision to lend a voice.
“That we’re appalled by the unfounded gargantuan allegations levelled against the three Nigerian lawmakers, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the shameless and unscrupulous Binance executive, Gambaryan, is, to say the least, an understatement.
“Of course, the Nigerian government and the three lawmakers mentioned by Gambaryan have swiftly denied the allegations as baseless and false.
“Also, the two Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigators mentioned by Gambaryan – Saad Abubakar and Bello Hamma-Adama – we’ve discovered, were uncompromising and very professional in their conduct throughout their investigation of the Binance officials, contrary to the wild allegations now made against them. In fact, the two EFCC officers were very thorough and effective in detecting all the infractions, vices and financial crimes perpetrated by Binance against Nigeria.
“Mentioning NSA Ribadu as part of the bribery allegation has also been found to be a figment of the infantine imagination of Binance and Gambaryan. The NSA, it has been found out, had no direct contact with Binance and Gambaryan before and throughout the period of his detention in Nigeria. So, his claim that Ribadu needed money to prosecute an election during that period is hollow and doesn’t have any iota of truth. There was infact no any election ahead for Ribadu or anyone to contest during that period. So, this allegation is unfounded, a blatant lie by Gambaryan.
“COTER will however like to use this medium to draw the attention of all Nigerians and the international community to the patent lies and diarrhoea-like utterances of the Binance executive, Gambaryan, who is working in cahoots with the enemies of Nigeria and the President Tinubu-led administration, within and outside the country, with the devilish objective of bringing Nigeria into disrepute among the comity of nations and destabilising the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“To start with, Gambaryan has hysterically accused the Nigerian government, the three lawmakers, the NSA and the DSS of unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations of bribery and corruption.
“But to us, Gambaryan and his sponsors some of whom were found to be disgruntled politicians meant much more than just the corruption allegation. Their major objective is to undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and provoke widespread resentment against Ribadu.
“Of course, these barefaced lies by the Binance executive against Nigeria leaves very bad taste in the mouth, as nothing can be further from the truth than this hog wash.
“It will interest Nigerians to know that Binance and Gambaryan are still smarting from their ban from operating their dubious and discredited business in the country due to its misadventures, which constituted economic crimes and sabotage against the country.
“They’re, of course, suffering the consequences of their dubious businesses and economic sabotage of countries across the globe and which have turned them into a pariah business organisation now being avoided by the governments of several nations.
“For your information, Binance has been discredited, banned and fined billions of dollars by courts in several countries of the world, including no fewer than nine states in the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Germany, China, Australia, Netherlands and others over its dubious, criminal and illegal operations. For instance, as recent as November 2023, Binance Holdings Ltd, pleaded guilty to Federal charges and agreed to pay over $4billion to resolve the US Justice Department’s investigations into violations relating to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Even its founder and CEO, Changpeng Zhao, a Canadian national, also pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering programme, and forced to resign his office. This is in addition to several other financial crimes perpetrated in recent times by Binance in several jurisdictions, which have resulted in their ban in several countries of the world.
“So, their Nigerian case was not an exception. The company perpetrated financial crimes, including tax evasion against Nigeria. The security agencies under the office of the NSA were thorough in their investigations and appropriate legal measures taken against the company and its officials.
“One can, therefore, not gainsay the fact that Gambaryan’s recent outbursts and wild corruption allegation against Nigeria is a crass exhibition of Binance and its Nigerian and foreign collaborators’ expression of paranoia. They have indeed become jittery and fearful of the consequences of their unpatriotic action against Nigeria having failed in their attempts to use Binance to perpetrate their planned economic sabotage of the country. Their real plan is how to, in collaboration with some disgruntled Nigerians and their foreign collaborators, incite Nigerians against the President Tinubu administration.
“It’s a well-known fact Binance has been colluding with some disgruntled and unpatriotic Nigerians and their foreign collaborators to undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu by sponsoring economic and Financial terrorist activities as represented by the activities of Binance. It was an orchestrated plan luckily foiled by the vigilant Nigerian security agencies and the office of the National Security Adviser. Binance has been found to be working in concert with some disgruntled Nigerians and their foreign collaborators who hitherto had been reaping from criminal financial activities, but now finding it difficult to continue their devilish activities under the new dispensation of the President Tinubu-led administration. These Nigerians are still under investigation for wrong doings and economic sabotage.
“It is disturbing that it is Binance that is now turning around to falsely accuse Nigeria and Nigerians of bribery. Instead of the notoriously criminal business organisation to frontally confront the myriads of problems staring it in the face in several countries of the world where its operations have been banned and declared a taboo, they’re chasing a red herring by falsely accusing Nigerians of unimaginable bribery allegation just to distract the rest of the world from the financial crimes they have become notorious. It is not a hidden fact that Binance is facing daunting challenges and mounting opposition from governments and countries all over the world, having been indicted in many climes of serious crimes such as tax evasion, money laundering and even financing of terrorism.
“Suddenly, for Binance, demonising Nigeria has become a pastime. Understandably, Binance and its collaborators have been doing nothing other than fanning the embers of chaos and disunity through their wild allegations just to destabilise the government and the country. The company and its collaborators are no doubt making frantic efforts to knock the heads of Nigerians together to ultimately instigate and incite a state of anarchy.
“Binance and Gambaryan’s unguarded and irresponsible utterances and allegations are intended to be kegs of gunpowder being heated, the results of which they’ve projected to be nothing but the incitement and promotion of chaos in Nigeria. Gambaryan’s fabrications are targeted at causing disaffection within Nigeria on one hand and causing the citizens to rebel against the security agencies as well as the Tinubu administration on the other.
“That the President Tinubu-led Nigerian government has been urged Nigerians to disregard Binance’s bribery allegation is understandable. But now that raising this and other unfounded allegations seem to have become a pastime for Binance and Gambaryan, COTER humbly requests the Nigerian government to take immediate actions to appropriately respond to these weighty allegations of bribery of such humongous amount.
“This has become imperative because Nigerians, who believe in the Tinubu administration are keenly watching and wondering whether it will allow Binance and Gambaryan to freely continue their hysterical outbursts and unsubstantiated lies against Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government must take urgent and drastic diplomatic action against Binance and Gambaryan at least to put a stop to the embarrassment by the company and its collaborators. Their unfounded allegations against Nigeria are as unreliable as they are misleading.
“In fact, Binance and Gambaryan’s crass recklessness regarding the false bribery allegations against Nigeria calls for serious concern.
“COTER is aware of the secret plans by Binance to surreptitiously cause chaos in Nigeria through these false allegations. The company’s major aim and objective is to sabotage and destabilise Nigeria.
“Binance and Gambaryan should prove their allegations against Nigeria. And should they fail in this regard, the Nigerian government should not hesitate to apply appropriate diplomatic steps for redress.
“COTER hereby calls on the Federal Government to immediately launch comprehensive investigations to uncover the identities of the Nigerian citizens working in collaboration with Binance for appropriate punishment.
“We believe that the various security agencies should be given the clearance and authorisation to perform their constitutional duty of investigating, arresting and questioning all those suspected of colluding with Binance to tarnish Nigeria’s image, no matter how highly placed they may be. If found wanting, they must be punished appropriately.”
