The Office of the National Security Adviser has urged Nigerians and the international community to help with information that could lead to the arrest of Nadeem Anjarwalla, the British Binance executive who escaped from custody in Abuja, on Friday.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued confirming the development by the Head, Strategic Communication, ONSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, on Monday.
“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.”Mijinyawa said.
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, 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.
“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”.
Recall that Nuhu Ribadu detained two executives of the Binance crypto exchange platform and confiscated their international passports last month.
They were detained in Abuja on an invitation from the federal government, following the report of the alleged manipulation of foreign exchange trading in Nigeria undermining the naira.
Binance faces charges of alleged non-payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT) and company income tax, failure to submit tax returns and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform.
The identities of two senior executives of crypto arrested were revealed later to be a US citizen, Tigran Gambaryan and British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla.
