MARGARET CHIDERA
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that the Federal Government in collaboration with the International Police (Interpol), have launched a widespread manhunt of the Director of Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a cryptocurrency organisation.
Idris, while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), meeting in Abuja, said that they were currently on his trail even as he assured that there is no hiding place for him.
The Director of Binance, Anjarwalla, is said to have escaped lawful custody on Friday, March 22nd, 2024.
He made the assertion against the backdrop of claims that Anjarwalla had escaped from the country to an unknown destination.
According to Idris, since Binance is an international firm, adding that there is no way the culprit will evade arrest, as he will be made to conform to the laws and financial regulations of Nigeria.
“There is now a widespread manhunt on him. The Interpol has also been contacted. The government is optimistic that this individual would be brought to book very soon, and those who were charged with the responsibility of keeping him in custody have also been arrested, and they’ve been questioned. As more information as regards this is available, we will make it available to Nigerians.
His explanation came barely few hours after the Office of the National Security Adviser confirmed that Anjarwalla, a key suspect in the ongoing criminal investigation regarding Binance’s activities in Nigeria, managed to escape lawful custody on Friday, March 22nd, 2024.
In an official statement released by the Head of Strategic Communication for the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, it was declared that collaborative efforts between the office, pertinent security agencies, various government bodies, and the international community are already underway to swiftly locate and detain the fugitive.
The statement stressed that security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect as a preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.
The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.
Until the escape, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serves as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts before he escaped while under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria. He was scheduled to appear before the court again on 4 April 2024.
