The porosity in the Nigerian security system has once again been exposed by the recent escape of one of the detained executive officers of Binance, an online crypto currency trading platform, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who reportedly escaped from detention on March 22, 2024.
Nadeem Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, were arrested and detained by the Nigerian government on their arrival in the country on February 26, 2024 amidst the accusations that their company engaged in the manipulation of the dollar against the naira. The government has since banned and blocked Binance from the Nigerian internet space.
Among other charges, the government also accused Binance of failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service for tax purposes, engaging in economic sabotage, including nonpayment of VAT, and helping its customers to evade taxes through its platform.
Additionally, Binance was accused of failing to collect and remit various taxes to the Federal Government, which is against Section 40 of the FIRS Act of 2007.
The Binance executives were subsequently arraigned in court for tax evasion, money laundering, and other charges in the Federal High Court in Abuja which ordered them to provide the Nigerian government with information on Nigerians trading on its platform.
The government also secured the order of a Magistrate court to detain the executives, first for 14 days and renewed for another 14 days. The order was still in force when the suspect escaped from custody.
It was surprising that the suspect, who was being held in custody, managed to wriggle out of custody despite being under the watch of security personnel.
According to media reports, Anjarwalla escaped from the DSS’s Abuja guest house, where he and Gambaryan were detained after guards led him to a nearby Mosque for Jumat prayers.
The security operatives in the country are still confused about how the suspect managed to get out of the country with an imported Kenyan passport.
Ironically, Gambaryan has accused the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of violating his fundamental human rights.
Gambaryan, in an originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 sought a declaration that his detention and seizure of his international travel passport, contravened Section 35 (1) and (4) of 1999 Constitution.
He urged the court to order the NSA and the EFCC to release him from their custody and return his international travel passport with immediate effect.
Gambaryan also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further detaining him in relation to any investigation into or demands from Binance.
He also urged the court to order the respondents to issue a public apology to him.
Gambaryan averred that he was in Nigeria alongside fleeing Anjarwalla to honour the invitation of the ONSA and EFCC to discuss issues relating to Binance in Nigeria.
He argued that he had not committed any offence during the meeting, and neither was he informed in writing of any offence he personally committed in Nigeria at any other time.
A lot of security and intelligence officers have alleged compromise in the way and manner the suspect escaped from custody and also from Nigeria.
This situation has been used as a metaphor to describe the Nigerian security situation and why it has been ineffective against terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. In some of these situations, security personnel have been accused of negligence and or conspiracy with those involved.
“Although President Tinubu has shown some courage in tackling insecurity, there are indications that there are powerful fifth columnists that are willing to sabotage his efforts.”
The escape has exposed apparent lapses in security procedures because the decision to house the suspects in a guest house goes against all known procedures and practice.
The implications are that Anjarwalla’s escape has been enabled to clean the records of Nigerian public officers who have bought billions of dollars of crypto currency with the company
The organisation has also gained critical intelligence of what those in government want and make contacts with key influencers, bribe them and obtain very cushioned landing
Those corrupt depositors can now breathe a sigh of relief.
There are also packages of lessons for the Federal Government.
There are many high up appointed loyal to those opposed to this government. Many who work in this government are tied up to their ethnic, religious and social loyalties. The civil service and security agencies are too deeply corrupt to be loyal.
Why were the suspects kept in a guest house instead of the DSS custody? Why were border alerts not issued as soon as the Binance executives were detained?
This is a teaching moment for the Federal Government that entrenched interests are far too deep to rely on many working within.
These are very serious indictments that border on serious economic sabotage against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whosoever aided and abetted the escape of one of them should be treated as an economic saboteur and an enemy of Nigeria.
The escape of the Binance executive is the latest in the long string of security challenges that has plagued the country in recent months, the recent being the kidnap of over 140 school children in Kaduna and killings of 17 soldiers and six policemen in Delta State.
Although President Tinubu has shown some courage in tackling insecurity, there are indications that there are powerful fifth columnists that are willing to sabotage his efforts.
It is, however, glaring that the government may be suffering some internal sabotage in addition to kinetic security shortcomings. This has been exemplified by the leaks of confidential memos from federal parastatals, including from the presidency. The government has expressed concern about the system’s lack of confidentiality and its potential to sabotage the country.
The escape of the Binance executive has caused Nigeria a big embarrassment within the country and internationally. Nigerians can only be more worried about the risks to the populace, government, and national economy as long as security lapses on all fronts persist in the nation.
The persistent killings of peasant farmers in the North Central region and the inability of the security forces to stop them smacks of collusion between some elements in the security forces and the terrorists.
The upsurge in violence in the Niger Delta, especially the persistent massacres of soldiers and policemen is seen as an attempt to plunge the region into another orgy of violence in order to disrupt oil production. A prolonged cessation of oil exports may lead to an unprecedented economic crisis and immense social upheavals.
In many jurisdictions, Binance is mired in legal controversies. In February, Binance Holdings Ltd agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine in a plea deal to settle criminal money laundering charges leveled by the US Department of Justice.
Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, pleaded guilty and agreed to resign. His criminal trial has been postponed to April 30 by a US court.
The Federal Government must seek to bring Anjarwalla back to face the law and all those who are complicit in his escape should be punished.
