A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former senior executive of global cryptocurrency firm, Binance, against the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over alleged unlawful detention.
The suit was instituted by Tigran Gambaryan, a former compliance executive of Binance, who approached the court to enforce his fundamental rights, claiming that his arrest and detention by Nigerian authorities in 2024 were unlawful and a violation of his constitutional freedoms.
Delivering judgment, the court held that Gambaryan failed to establish any credible violation of his rights by the security and anti-graft agencies. The judge ruled that the actions of the NSA and EFCC were within the bounds of the law and carried out in line with their statutory responsibilities.
The court further described the suit as lacking merit and ruled that it amounted to an abuse of court process, noting that investigative agencies cannot be restrained from performing their lawful duties, particularly in matters involving alleged economic and financial crimes.
Gambaryan had sought declaratory reliefs, compensation, and a public apology, arguing that he was detained despite voluntarily engaging with Nigerian authorities. However, the EFCC maintained that he was held in connection with ongoing investigations into alleged money laundering, foreign exchange violations, and other financial infractions linked to Binance’s operations in Nigeria.
The ruling comes amid heightened scrutiny of cryptocurrency activities in the country, following allegations that some digital trading platforms contributed to currency volatility and illicit financial flows.
With the dismissal of the suit, the court effectively upheld the actions of the NSA and EFCC, reinforcing the authority of Nigeria’s security and anti-corruption agencies to investigate suspected economic crimes without undue interference.
Abuja Network News