The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed the escape from lawful custody of Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange company.

Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, Head, Strategic Communication, ONSA, said in a statement on Monday in Abuja, that Anjarwalla escaped on Friday.

Detained Binance executive escapes from custody, flees Nigeria

Mijinyawa however said ONSA has taken immediate steps in conjunction with relevant security organisations, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the international community to apprehend the suspect.

He said the security agencies were also working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect.

According to him, preliminary investigation shows that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.

The ONSA spokesman said that the personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect had been arrested as investigation continues to unravel the circumstances behind his escape.

Mijinyawa said the Nigerian government, like others round the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.

Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan passports, is Binance’s Africa regional manager and has been under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria.

”He was scheduled to appear before the court again on April 4.

”We urge the Nigerian public and the international community to provide whatever information they have that can assist law enforcement agencies apprehend the suspect,” he added.

Reports said 38-year-old Nadeem Anjarwalla who is detained by Nigerian authorities on allegations of tax evasion and other charges, fled on Friday, from a guest house in Abuja where he and a colleague were being held when security personnel allowed him to visit a nearby mosque for Ramadan prayers.

Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, another Binance executive were said to have been detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024, resulting in a series of legal actions against them and the cryptocurrency exchange.