KEY POINTS
- Anjarwalla supposedly escaped from the Nigerian NSA's custody on March 22
- He was detained alongside Tigran Gambaryan, another Binance executive, on Feb. 26
- Gambaryan and Anjarwalla will be arraigned Thursday, as per local media
The Nigerian government has started working on the process of extraditing a Binance executive who "escaped" from Nigerian detention last month, a local report revealed.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan dual national, Binance's regional manager for Africa, was detained alongside Binance head of financial crime compliance, Tigran Gambaryan late in February after they entered the country to meet Nigerian authorities over issues related to Binance.
Nigerian National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu ordered Anjarwalla and Gambaryan to be detained in a "safe house" in Abuja after they were taken from their hotels. But last week, Anjarwalla "escaped from detention and left the country using a Kenyan passport" on March 22, The Punch reported.
The outlet noted that Nigeria is now processing Anjarwalla's extradition, citing unidentified "top government sources." The sources added that even without Anjarwalla around, Gambaryan will be arraigned Thursday on five counts, including tax-related charges. Anjarwalla will be arraigned in absentia, as per the report.
"It is true that the Federal Government has commenced the process of extraditing Binance's Anjarwalla in order to bring him back to Nigeria to answer to his money laundering case in court, among others. The arraignment of Binance and Gambaryan in court on Thursday will also aide Anjarwalla's extradition," one source said.
Another security source told the outlet that the "soldiers" who were supposed to monitor Anjarwalla were "still being grilled by special investigators" from intelligence and security services. "All hands are on deck as it is a matter of national security," the source noted.
Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) formally lodged complaints against Gambaryan and Arnjarwalla last week at the Federal High Court in Abuja, local media reported. One outlet said the charges include complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through Binance's crypto exchange.
Gambaryan has since filed legal action against Ribadu and the Nigerian Economic Financial Crimes Commission for violating his basic human rights when he was detained against his will on Feb. 26. He urged the court to release him from the NSA's custody and return his international passport immediately.
He said he traveled to Nigeria to honor the Nigerian government's invitation to discuss the exchange's issues in the country. He pointed out that he did not commit any offenses during the meeting and he was not informed in writing of any offense he committed in Nigeria, if any. Gambaryan's legal action has been adjourned through Apr. 8.
Following the detainment of its executives, Binance said it was committed to "promoting the responsible growth of crypto in Nigeria" and it has responded accordingly to Nigerian law enforcement agencies' information requests between June 2020 and February 2024.
