Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed that Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive of Binance, indeed escaped from detention.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Anjarwalla, Binance’s Director of West & East Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance were being held in detention in Nigeria.
However, reports emerged on Monday that Anjarwalla escaped from detention after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
The Binance executive, a Briton, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have flown out of Abuja via a Middle East airliner using a Kenyan passport.
Reacting, ONSA confirmed that indeed Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria escaped from lawful custody on Friday, 22 March 2024.
“Upon receiving this report, this office took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies , MDAs, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.
“Security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect,” a statement by Zakari U. Mijinyawa, Head of Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser reads.
According to the statement by Mijinyawa, preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.
“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention,” the statement added.
Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.
Until his escape, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serving as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts.
The suspect escaped while under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria, according to Mijinyawa, adding that Anjarwalla was scheduled to appear before the court again on 4 April 2024.
“We urge the Nigerian public and the international community to provide whatever information they have that can assist law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspect,” the statement added.