By 
…Binance confirms escape
By Abiodun OBA
Nadeem Anjarwalla, detained Binance regional manager for Africa, has escaped from Nigeria’s security agency detention.
The escape confirmed by the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) signifies lapses in the security architecture.
According to ONSA, Anjarwalla escaped by using a smuggled passport, adding that the officer in charge of his detainment has been arrested.
ONSA Head of Strategic Communication, Zakari Mijinyawa, said in a statement, “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.
The Binance executive was said to have escaped after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
The report further said he could have been flown out of the country using a Middle Eastern airliner.
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.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Binance Nigeria Limited, global cryptocurrency platform, Samantha Fuller has confirmed that its finance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, is no longer in Nigerian custody.
Fuller said Binance was concerned for the safety of its employees and was working with Nigerian authorities to resolve the matter.
“We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees, and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to quickly resolve this issue,” Fuller said.
Anjarwalla, reportedly escaped from the custody of the office of the National Security Adviser, after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers.
It was said the Binance executive escaped on March 22, from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan were detained.
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