Federal lawmakers Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese asked for proof after Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited, accused them and a third fellow of demanding a $150 million bribe in 2024.

Gambaryan was detained alongside fellow Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla in February 2024. Anjarwalla later fled the country. He spent months in detention, standing trial for alleged tax evasion, currency speculation and money laundering. He was released in October.

In an X post on Friday morning, Gambaryan claimed that Akpanke and Agbese were among the three lawmakers who asked him to pay a $150 million bribe into cryptocurrency wallets.

The identity of the third lawmaker remains unknown.

“The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do,” he wrote on X.

Some Unknown Facts- you can read the rest in the Wired article and the NPR story.

The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They…

— Tigran Gambaryan (@TigranGambaryan) February 14, 2025

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“At the House meeting, there were three members present. Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name.”

Akpanke is the lawmaker representing the Obudu/Bekwerra/Obanliku federal constituency in Cross River State while Agbese represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo in Benue State. Onwusibe, the said leader of the group, represents Isiala Ngwa South/Isiala Ngwa North Federal Constituency of Abia State.

The Binance executive claimed that the lawmakers set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official.

“As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best,” he said.

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In his X post detailing his detention and the bribery scheme orchestrated by the lawmakers, he alleged that top government officials, such as Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), played a role in the matter.

“They tried to use us to violate international privacy laws by demanding user data on all Nigerians to target opposition members allegedly ‘manipulating the price of the naira’. However, they all knew that the naira’s devaluation was a direct result of Tinubu’s monetary policy, which depegged the naira from the dollar.

“I’m not saying this policy decision was wrong, but everyone understood that removing government intervention would lead to extreme devaluation. Instead of acknowledging this, they used Binance as a scapegoat.”

LAWMAKERS’ RESPONSE

Speaking with FIJ on Friday afternoon, Akpanke said it was preposterous for Binance to accuse him of demanding a bribe when he was the one who facilitated the submission of the petition that landed the company into trouble with the Nigerian authorities.

“What proof does he have that we demanded a bribe from him? Every investigation with Binance was transparent. It was an open thing. The correspondences are there,” Akpanke said.

“Binance does not have a phone number. All correspondences were through email. Did we ask for the bribe through email? It’s one thing to allege but another thing to prove.

“Why are they mentioning it now? This thing happened last year. Why is it now that they are coming out to say those things? I think they are just out to tarnish the image of those of us mentioned.

“The people who petitioned against Binance came to me with the petition. I was the one who referred them to the House Committee on Financial Crimes to submit it there.

“How can I turn back to demand a bribe for a petition I brought for investigation when I discovered that they were doing terrorist financing, money laundering and defrauding Nigerians? They are trying to play a mind game here. They should respond to the allegations.”

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When FIJ called Agbese for a response, he denied Gambaryan’s accusations and insisted that he had no cryptocurrency accounts.

“I want to state in my honour that I have no cryptocurrency account anywhere in the world. I have never transacted any business with any electronic currency since I was born and I challenge the accuser to supply the so-called cryptocurrency account belonging to me,” Agbese stated.

He dismissed Gambaryan’s claims as false, stating that he was not part of any meeting with Binance executives regarding money.

The lawmaker demanded that Gambaryan provide evidence linking him to the bribe request. He asked the Binance executive to retract his claims within seven days and apologise or face legal action.

“Let it be on record that I am not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. I visited my colleague, Honourable Peter Akpanke, in his office, where he was meeting with some visitors about an activity of his Committee, with Honourable Peter Anekwe, a member of the Committee, present. We exchanged pleasantries and, in character with my person as an avid pursuer of knowledge, discussed Binance’s activities, which did not include any demand from anyone.

“It was during this visit to the office of Honourable Peter Akpanke, with Honourable Peter Anekwe present, that he told me they were interfacing with the Binance team from abroad over a referral to their Committee. What transpired between the two of them and the Binance executive after I left the office is left to them. I never saw those visitors again after that chance meeting and did not afterwards attend any meeting with Binance executives, the EFCC, or the DSS.”