Two U.S. lawmakers, French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan, who visited Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance official detained in Kuje Prison, have criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for allegedly denying Mr. Gambaryan access to sufficient medical care.
Mr. Hill and Mrs. Houlahan, part of a delegation including 16 U.S. congressmen who urged President Joe Biden to intervene, expressed concern after their visit to Kuje Prison. “Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria,” Mr. Hill stated in a post on X on Thursday. “We found him suffering from malaria and double pneumonia, significantly underweight, and distressingly, lacking adequate medical attention.”
In a video accompanying his remarks, Mr. Hill characterized Mr. Gambaryan’s detention as unjust and Kuje Prison as profoundly troubling, urging President Tinubu to release him promptly.
Despite acknowledging the dropping of tax-related charges against Mr. Gambaryan, Mr. Hill insisted on his immediate release and the dismissal of all remaining charges, stressing that Mr. Gambaryan “must be granted humanitarian release, with all charges dropped, and allowed to return home to America.”
The visit by the U.S. lawmakers followed a plea to President Biden by 16 American congressmen to intervene, asserting that Nigerian authorities’ charges against Mr. Gambaryan were groundless and part of an effort by the Tinubu government to pressure Binance.
In response, Tinubu’s administration refuted accusations of hostage-taking, alleging that Binance had engaged in illegal activities in Nigeria, exacerbating the country’s economic challenges.
