The United States is working harder to get Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive who has been detained in Nigeria since February 2024, released. Reports that Gambaryan’s health is getting worse have led the United States to take major political action.
Antony Blinken, who is Secretary of State, and John R. Bolton, who is Ambassador to Nigeria, have been working hard to get Gambaryan released since June. Their private talks with Nigerian officials, such as the president and other high-level government officials, have been many and varied. The fight to free Gambaryan has become a big problem in the relationship between the US and Nigeria.
Because Gambaryan’s lawyers want the U.S. State Department to officially say that he is “wrongfully detained,” Nigeria could face more political pressure. The U.S. government hasn’t ruled this out because it would bring attention to the humane parts of Gambaryan’s position.
Representative Rich McCormick brought up a motion in Congress that said Nigeria might be holding Gambaryan as a hostage, which made the situation even worse. This decision shows how worried people are getting about Gambaryan’s health and the conditions of his arrest.
Gambaryan’s health getting worse has been a big worry. Reports say he has had an injured disc, several diseases, and malaria while in jail and has not been getting enough medical care. His lawyers just recently put in a bail request, saying that he needs medical help right away.
There have also been complaints about the carelessness of Nigerian jail officials, in addition to the health issues. In July, jail doctor Dr. Abraham Ehizojie got in trouble with the law for not giving Gambaryan a needed medical report.
The case of Tigran Gambaryan shows that there are still problems between the United States and Nigeria. As Gambaryan’s health continues to get worse, political and civil efforts are stepping up.
