Detained British Binance Executive Escapes From Nigerian Custody

One of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has escaped from lawful custody.

According to a report by Premium Times, 38-year-old Anjarwalla, escaped on Friday, March 22, 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 reported to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle East airliner.

Premium Times has contacted the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, over the escape of the Binance executive from detention, but he is yet to respond to calls and messages sent to his phone.

It remains unclear how Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite seizure of his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, now in possession of the Nigerian authorities.

Authorities are also said to be working to unravel his intended destination in a bid to get him back into custody.

An Immigration official said the Binance executive fled Nigeria using his Kenyan passport. He, however, said authorities were trying to determine how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him when he was taken into custody.

The two officials, according reports were held at “comfortable guest house” and allowed many rights, including the use of telephones, which is the privilege Anjarwalla was believed to have exploited to plot his escape.

Anjarwalla who is the Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On 28 February 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC an order to remand the duo for 14 days.