In a surprising turn of events, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a senior executive at Binance and the company's Africa regional manager, who holds British-Kenyan citizenship, has reportedly escaped Nigerian detention during an ongoing investigation into Binance's operations in Nigeria. The investigation is currently centred around allegations of tax fraud and other financial irregularities.
According to the announcement made by a presidential national security adviser, Anjarwalla's escape has triggered an international manhunt. Nigerian officials are collaborating with Interpol to obtain an arrest warrant for him.
Reports say that the 38-year-old Anjarwalla, escaped from the Abuja guest house where he and a colleague were being held on Friday, March 22.
It was reported that guards allowed him to attend Ramadan prayers at a nearby mosque, during which he escaped. However, it is unclear how he managed to board an international flight even after his British passport was confiscated by Nigerian police.
It has been revealed that he used his Kenyan passport to flee the country, but investigations are ongoing to determine how he obtained it as he had no other travel documentation than his British passport when he was arrested.
According to reports, the executives who were taken into custody were held in a comfortable guest house and were given certain privileges such as access to a telephone, which may have helped Anjarwalla escape.
On February 26, 2024, Anjarwalla, who was serving as Binance's Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen responsible for overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria.
