A member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Tigran Gambaryan, the Chief Compliance Officer of Binance. Agbese is demanding N1 billion in damages over allegations made by Gambaryan on social media.
The lawsuit, submitted to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Monday, was prompted by Gambaryan’s claims that Agbese and two other lawmakers attempted to extort $150 million from Binance. Agbese, through his legal team led by human rights and digital lawyer Samuel Ihensekhien, argues that the accusations are false, malicious, and damaging to his reputation.
According to court documents, the case, numbered FCT/HC/CV/576/2025, lists Agbese as the Claimant and Gambaryan as the Defendant. Agbese insists he has never owned a cryptocurrency account or engaged in digital currency transactions.
The lawsuit, initiated via a writ of summons, requests the court to declare Gambaryan’s allegations defamatory. It also seeks an injunction preventing him from making further accusations, along with a public retraction of the claims. Additionally, Agbese is demanding N1 billion in general damages and N5 million to cover the cost of the suit.
The court has instructed that Gambaryan be officially served with the lawsuit notice. He has eight days to respond; failure to do so may result in the court delivering judgment in his absence.
This legal action comes amid increased regulatory scrutiny of Binance in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has accused the cryptocurrency exchange of operating without proper authorization and facilitating financial transactions that allegedly threaten the national economy.
In the court filings obtained by Chronicles Reporters on Monday, Agbese is seeking several declarations, including:
- A court ruling affirming that Gambaryan’s statements on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter) via @TigranGambaryan, falsely accused Agbese of corruption, damaging his reputation both within and outside Nigeria.
- An injunction preventing Gambaryan, his associates, and any other individuals from further defaming, harassing, or threatening Agbese through the press or social media.
- A mandatory court order compelling Gambaryan to retract the defamatory social media posts and online articles, as well as publish an unreserved apology in at least three national newspapers within seven days of the court’s judgment.
- A court order preventing Gambaryan from further distributing or republishing defamatory material about Agbese in any form.
- A demand for N1 billion in general damages for the alleged defamatory statements and press publications.
- A ruling that Gambaryan’s disclosure of Agbese’s official designation and private details without consent constitutes a violation of his privacy rights, as protected under Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution.
- Compensation of N5 million to cover the costs of the lawsuit.
- Any other reliefs the court deems appropriate.
As of now, no date has been set for the hearing of the case.
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