NSA Confirms Escape Of Binance Executive, Arrests Officials Responsible
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed the escape of Nadeem Anjarwalla, the Binance regional manager for Africa.
A statement by Zakari Mijinyawa, head of strategic communication at ONSA, 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.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, one of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, has escaped from lawful custody.
Sources disclosed to Premium Times that Mr Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, 22 March, 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 remains unclear how Mr Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, remaining in the custody of the Nigerian authorities.
In another development, the federal government of Nigeria has filed a criminal charge against Binance for “tax evasion”.
The charge was filed before the federal high court in Abuja on March 25 by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), according to a statement on Monday.
