Chamber of Digital Commerce Pressures Biden Administration to Save US Citizens Arbitrary Detained in Nigeria  

The Chamber of Digital Commerce published an open letter to the Biden administration on Friday, March 15, urging for the immediate release of two US citizens detained in Nigeria. The blog post laments that the Nigerian government detained Tigran Gambaryan without compliance with the due process. 

The Chamber of Digital Commerce piles pressure on the Biden administration, indicating that the former US federal agent was arrested alongside fellow Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla back on February 26 this year. The post argues that the detention is unlawful and tests the international law norms and the US-Nigeria diplomatic relations.

Diplomatic Questions Arise Following Detention of Binance Executives in Nigeria

The appeal made on Friday’s blog post demands urgent diplomatic action from the White House to resolve the unlawful detention perceived as injustice. The post argues that the Nigerian authorities detained Gambaryan in questionable circumstances that set a troubling precedent. 

The Chamber of Digital Commerce argues that the arbitrary detention indicates that American entrepreneurs working abroad, particularly within the crypto industry, could suffer similar unlawful actions perpetrated by foreign authorities. 

The Chamber of Digital Commerce termed the unwarranted detention of US citizens as beyond a legal issue. The post considers such a test to the national dignity of American citizens entitled to protection worldwide. 

The Chamber of Digital Commerce lamented that the Nigerian authorities handed Gambaryan arbitrary detention. Such threatens to erode the diplomatic relations between Washington and Lagos. 

The post warns that the arbitrary detention could test the diplomatic relations given that Nigeria benefits from $1 billion in foreign aid annually from the US. The matter becomes tricky and could complicate the relations to unprecedented levels, unlike when such cases arise with states with worse relations. 

The news of Anjarwalla and Gambaryan’s apprehensions arose in a Financial Times publication in late February. Nonetheless, the February 28 publication failed to reveal the duo’s identities explicitly. 

Binance Exits Nigeria Amid Detention of Executives

The families disclosed that Gambaryan is an American citizen while colleague Anjarwalla is a Kenyan and UK citizen. The duo visited Nigeria on February 25 following the invitation by the authorities to resolve the ongoing dispute with crypto exchange Binance for alleged illegal activities. 

The relatives confirmed that the Binance executives held discussions with the Nigerian officials to resolve the directive to telecom providers mandating that they deny access to crypto exchanges and Binance. The Nigerian authorities linked the naira’s devaluation to the illicit flows facilitated by crypto exchanges. 

The families’ accounts reveal that the parties failed to reach a consensus, prompting the relocation of the executives from their hotel rooms to a guesthouse run by Nigeria’s National Security Agency.

The duo’s arrest preceded the unfortunate decision by Binance to officially confirm its exit from the West African country in a March 5 update. The matter is set to take a sudden twist following the pressure mounted on the Biden administration to intervene.