CITIZENS COMPASS —Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive of Binance, the top cryptocurrency trading exchange, has reportedly escaped from the custody of law enforcement operations in Nigeria. 

He was detained alongside his colleague for alleged tax evasion and other offences,. 

According to reports, Mr Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, March 22, 2024, from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.

The Briton, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle East airliner.

It could not be ascertained how the Binance executive escaped from the custody. 

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed the escape through a statement issued by Zakari Mijinyawa, head of strategic communication at ONSA. 

He said “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 reads.

Mr Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on 26 February 2024.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On 28 February 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days. The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.