The Office of the National Security Adviser has confirmed that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria escaped from lawful custody on Friday, 22 March 2024.
Two Binance executives were arrested in Nigeria over tax evasion and other charges. However, one of the executives, Mr. Anjarwalla, managed to escape when the guards on duty took him to a nearby mosque for prayers during ongoing Ramadan.
Anjarwall, who holds both British and Kenyan nationalities, is believed to have left Abuja on a Middle Eastern airline. He was previously under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria and was due to appear again in court on April 4, 2024.
On Monday, Zakari U. Mijinyawa, the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser announced that the NSA has collaborated with relevant agencies to apprehend the suspect.
“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.
“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.”
Like other governments worldwide, the Federal Government of Nigeria has been investigating transactions on the Binance currency exchange platform for money laundering and terrorism financing.
The NSA requested the public and international community to provide any information that could aid law enforcement agencies in apprehending the suspect.
