FG CONTACTS INTERPOL, SOLDIERS HELD OVER BINANCE DETAINEE’S ESCAPE
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Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive at the international cryptocurrency company Binance, was among the imprisoned executives who fled from lawful custody on Friday. The Federal Government called the International Criminal Police Organisation on Monday and issued an arrest order for his capture.
Additionally, information was obtained from the Office of the National Security Adviser indicating that Anjarwalla, a suspect in the investigation into Binance’s operations in
Nigeria, fled with a Kenyan passport while his colleague was still being held.
An airline from the Middle East helped the British-Kenyan national Binance official flee Abuja. His Nigerian employer acknowledged that Anjarwalla was out of the country and that the company would work with security services.
Security services were taken aback by the escape, as they disclosed that the CEO was being held in a “safe house” under military escort and that the on-duty security guards had been taken into custody.
In a statement released in Abuja on Monday, Zakari Mijinyawa, Head of the Office of the National Security Adviser’s Strategic Communication, confirmed Anjarwalla’s escape.
According to Mijinyawa, preliminary investigations revealed that the escapee left Nigeria using a smuggled international passport.
He mentioned that the suspect’s arrest was still being worked on.
The statement read, “The Office of the National Security Adviser confirms that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria, has escaped from lawful custody on Friday, March 22, 2024.
“Upon receiving this report, this office took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.
“Security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect. Preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.”
Mijinyawa noted that the personnel responsible for the custody of Anjarwalla had been arrested, adding that investigations were ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding his escape.
Personnel arrested
“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.
“Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, 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 served 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. He was scheduled to appear before the court again on April 4, 2024,” the statement added.
The ONSA spokesperson urged Nigerians and the international community to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect.
Mijinyawa said, “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.”
Financial Times had on February 28, 2024, reported that two executives of the company were arrested and detained after they flew into the country as a result of a ban on their website.
On March 12, 2024, the FT reported that the EFCC asked Binance to share data on its 100 top users in Nigeria as well as all transaction history for the past six months.
According to the report, the request is at the centre of negotiations between Binance and Nigeria.
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