The federal government has confirmed the escape of an executive of Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from lawful custody.
The confirmation was made on Monday in a statement issued by the Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Zakari U. Mijinyawa.
Anjarwalla was said to have escaped on Friday.
The government said preliminary investigation showed that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.
According to Mijinyawa, upon receiving the report of the escape of the Binance executive, the office of the NSA took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, MDAs, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.
Security agencies were said to be working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect.
The personnel said to be responsible for the custody of the suspect, it was reported, had been arrested, and a thorough investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.
The statement reads in part: “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 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. He 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.”
