Nadeem Anjarwalla, one of two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, has reportedly escaped custody.
In February, the Federal Government detained Binance’s two senior executives.
The arrest occurred amid the government’s efforts to curb naira speculation by cracking down on cryptocurrency exchanges.
Binance has been charged with nonpayment of Value-Added Tax, Company Income Tax, failure to file tax returns, and complicity in assisting customers in evading taxes through its platform.
According to Premium Times, Anjarwalla fled the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were being held on Friday.
He was said to have fled after some guards led him to a nearby mosque for prayers.
The British national, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have left Abuja on a Middle Eastern airline.
It is unclear how Anjarwalla boarded an international flight even though Nigerian authorities were holding his British passport, which he had used to enter the country.
According to the Premium Times, authorities are also working to determine his intended destination to return him to custody.
An immigration official stated that the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport.
The official stated that the authorities are investigating how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel documents (aside from the British passport) with him when he was arrested.
According to another insider, the two officials were detained in a “pleasant guest house” and granted numerous privileges, including telephone access.
Anjarwalla is believed to have taken advantage of this opportunity to plot his escape.
Zakari Mijinyawa, the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, was unable to confirm the incident when contacted on Sunday night.
Mijinyawa promised to inquire and respond. However, the NSA’s office has not issued an official statement.
