A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by former Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan challenging his 2024 detention by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Mohammed Umar said the suit represented an abuse of court process. He emphasized that investigative agencies cannot be restrained from carrying out their lawful duties and that constitutional rights are not absolute, particularly in cases involving national security or active criminal investigations.
Gambaryan, who served as Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, alleged unlawful detention and claimed authorities were using him “as leverage to continue making demands on Binance.” He said he traveled to Nigeria on February 26, 2024, with colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla to comply with an invitation from the NSA and EFCC, but was detained despite not being a director of the cryptocurrency firm. Anjarwalla later escaped custody and left the country.
Through his lawyer, Tonye Krukrubo, Gambaryan requested the court to declare his detention between February 26–27 and March 12–April 8, 2024, unlawful, and to order compensation and an apology. Lawyers for the NSA and EFCC opposed the suit, arguing it was intended to obstruct ongoing criminal proceedings against Binance Holdings Ltd., involving allegations of money laundering and foreign exchange violations before Justice Emeka Nwite.
EFCC counsel Olanrewaju Adeola noted that a valid remand order covered the detention period and that Gambaryan had already been arraigned, with bail denied due to flight risk concerns. Adeola argued the suit was an attempt to interfere with the ongoing criminal case.
Justice Umar concluded that while fundamental rights are protected under the constitution, they may be curtailed in circumstances involving national security or active investigations. He affirmed that the NSA acted based on intelligence reports concerning alleged illicit financial activities linked to Binance and dismissed the case.