The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has admitted that a Binance Executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, escaped from custody with a smuggled passport.
It also said all the security personnel in-charge of Anjarwalla’s custody have been arrested pending investigation.
Nonetheless, the ONSA said security agencies were working with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to watch-list the suspect and re-arrest him.
The update on Binance Executive was contained in a statement by Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Zakari U. Mijinyawa.
The statement reads: “The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) confirms that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the on-going criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria has escaped from lawful custody on Friday, 22 March 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 Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.
“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is on-going 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. “
The statement asked Nigerians to provide useful information on the fleeing suspect.
“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,” it added.
NewsdeskAfrica recalls that this was not the first time a gig profile detainee escaped from custody.
Alhaji Abdulsalam Othman, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Garki Village Police Division escaped from custody at the Force headquarters while he was being investigated on his roles in the extra-judicial murder of six Autoparts traders and fiancee of one of them by the police at Gimbya Street over 17 years ago.
Aside this, several high profile terrorists detained at the Kuje Maximum Security Prisons in the FCT, escaped when terrorists destroyed the prisons and escaped with them, among other escape of detainees.
In all these, nobody has been arrested, detained or dismissed or faced any form of interdiction as a result.
