Nadeem Anjarwalla, the regional manager for Binance in Africa, has reportedly fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport, according to a statement released by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser on Monday. Anjarwalla, who holds both British and Kenyan citizenship, was detained along with a colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen, on February 26 upon their arrival in Nigeria amidst a crackdown on the company.
While Gambaryan remains in custody, Anjarwalla’s departure has raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding their detention. A court had initially granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s request to detain the two executives for 14 days. However, their continued detention was not authorized by the court, leading to claims of unlawful detention, as reported by a source close to the families to the BBC.
Reports from Nigerian media suggest that Anjarwalla asked guards at the guest house where he was being held to allow him to go to the mosque last Friday but did not return. The situation underscores the ongoing tensions between cryptocurrency companies like Binance and Nigerian authorities, as the government cracks down on digital currency operations in the country.
The incident has raised questions about the legality of the detention and the circumstances surrounding Anjarwalla’s departure, prompting calls for further investigation into the matter. As the situation unfolds, there are growing concerns about the implications for foreign nationals working in Nigeria’s cryptocurrency industry and the broader regulatory environment surrounding digital assets in the country.
