Nigeria Continues Search for Escaped Binance Exec Nadeem Anjarwalla

The battle between Binance and Nigeria isn't over yet. In what Nigeria Information Minister Mohammed Idris emphasised was a Binance problem rather than a crypto problem, the African nation is continuing its pursuit of British Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla.

Anjarwalla and U.S. citizen Tigran Gambaryan, both Binance executives, were detained in Nigeria in February 2024. The pair visited the country to address allegations that the exchange's activity had crashed the country's national currency, the naira.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) charged the exchange and its two executives with five counts bordering on money laundering.

Anjarwalla, who serves as Binance's regional manager for Africa, escaped custody in March, with Binance stating, “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 quickly resolve this issue.”

In a recent interview , Idris said the government in Abuja, as well as Interpol, are searching for Anjarwalla. “Nadeem Anjarwalla actually did escape lawful custody, and this is against our laws,” Alhaji Idris said.

“Nigeria made a case with Interpol to apprehend him and bring him back to face justice.”

Gambarayan ultimately had his case dropped by the Nigerian court on humanitarian grounds due to his deteiorating health after being detained for eight months.

The Binance exec reportedly had suffered from malaria, pneumonia, and tonsilitis, and also experienced complications from a herniated disk, which left him wheelchair-bound. Local authorities said Gambaryan required urgent medical care outside Nigeria.

Binance CEO Richard Teng defended the exchange, stating that the Nigerian government’s actions “were not warranted” and that Binance had attempted to cooperate, only to be met with resistance.

Minister Idris dismissed these accusations as tactics aimed at strong-arming the government, pointing out that other crypto firms operating in Nigeria had not faced similar legal challenges. “There are other companies operating in the crypto sector in Nigeria, you don’t see them [facing charges],” he said, adding that the government is out to protect investors, “not to cripple anybody.”

Last month, Nigeria sued Binance for $79.5 billion in damages for economic losses allegedly caused by the cryptocurrency exchange’s operations in the country. Additionally, the government demanded $2 billion in back taxes.