U.S. Lawmakers Visit Kuje Prison, Blasts Tinubu’s Govt, Says Nigerian Govt Should Release Binance Official With Immediate Effect
Two U.S. lawmakers, French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan, who visited Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance official detained in Kuje Prison, have accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of denying Mr Gambaryan access to “adequate medical attention.”
Mr Hill and Mrs Houlahan were among 16 U.S. congressmen who wrote to President Joe Biden on June 4, charging him with intervening in Mr Gambaryan’s release.
“Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria,” Mr Hill said in a post on X on Thursday. “We found him suffering from the conditions there, as he has malaria and double pneumonia, and he reports that he has lost significant weight. Even worse, he’s being denied access to adequate medical attention.”
In a video posted on X alongside his statement, the American legislator said Mr Gambaryan was being “wrongfully detained” in Kuje Prison by Nigerian authorities.
He described Kuje prison as a “horrible place” and called on Mr Tinubu to release the detained Binance official.
While acknowledging the dropping of tax-related charges against the Binance employee, Mr Hill insisted he should be immediately released and all remaining charges dismissed.
Mr Hill said Mr Gambaryan “must be immediately granted a humanitarian release, the remaining charges dropped, and he must return home to America, where he belongs.”
The U.S. lawmakers’ visit to Kuje Prison to see Mr Gambaryan came after 16 American congressmen wrote Mr Biden asking him to intervene in getting Mr Gambaryan released, arguing that charges against him by Nigerian authorities were baseless and constituted a coercion tactic by the Tinubu government to extort Binance.
However, Mr Tinubu’s government denied holding Mr Gambaryan hostage, accusing Binance of illegal operation in Nigeria and fuelling the country’s economic crisis.
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