Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and the head of the criminal investigations team at Binance, along with a colleague, have been detained by Nigerian authorities since February 26, 2024. The circumstances surrounding their detention, reportedly without charges and under questionable conditions, have prompted calls for the U.S. government’s intervention. Gambaryan was allegedly lured to Nigeria under false pretenses and subsequently detained by armed personnel, along with a Binance colleague. They were stripped of their passports and have been detained at an unknown location, which sparked accusations of a government plot to extort a hefty ransom from Binance.