Nadeem Anjarwalla, a regional manager for Africa at cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has reportedly escaped from Nigerian custody.
According to Premium Times, Nadeem fled the Abuja guest house where he was being held on Friday, March 22nd, after being escorted to a nearby mosque for prayers.
Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan, another Binance executive, have been in custody since February 26, 2024.
The two Binance executives were detained by Nigerian authorities after being charged with tax-related offenses.
The government had also accused Binance of facilitating illegal activities and contributing to the decline of the Naira.
Binance, however insists that it has carried out all its operations within the confines of laid down rules, absolving itself of all allegations of wrong.
According to reports, Nadeem’s detention was extended due to the company’s failure to provide the data of its top users as demanded by The Nigerian government.
Responding to the development, Binance said the safety of Anjarwalla remains their top priority and it is working with the Nigerian authorities to resolve the issue quickly.
“We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees, and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to resolve this issue quickly”. The company said.
The ongoing tension between Binance and the Nigerian government started when the government restricted the company from operating in Nigerian cyberspace from February 21, 2024.
Binance had as a result, discontinued its services on Naira from March 8th.
The two Binance executives have been detained by the office of the National Security Adviser since February 2024.
The families of both detainees have since then called for their release but their desires had not been granted before now.