Twenty-five days later, two Binance employees remain detained in Nigeria.
The duo identified as Tigran Gambaryan, who leads their criminal investigations team, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, the company’s regional manager for Africa, were arrested by the office of the national security adviser hours after they arrived in Abuja, the country’s capital to discuss the government’s recent restrictions on cryptocurrency exchanges.
On Wednesday, after considering arguments, the court delayed its decision until April 5, ten working days away. This follows the expiration of their original detention order on March 12.
Notably, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission requested a renewal, which was denied. They haven’t been released either, Mondo Advisory, the strategic communications agency representing the employees told Bendada.com in a statement.
Elahe Anjarwalla, wife of Nadeem, one of the two Binance employees detained in Nigeria, pleaded with authorities for their release. “I plead with the Nigerian authorities from the bottom of my heart: please allow Nadeem and Tigran to return home while discussions with Binance continue,” she stated. Anjarwalla also called on the British and Kenyan governments to intervene and bring Nadeem back. “Please, we just want this nightmare to end,” she said.
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However, the timeline remains unclear. “Let’s allow law enforcement agencies space and time to undertake their work. Outcomes will be made public in due course,” Nigeria’s national security advisor’s office told the Financial Times.
Ten days ago, the government demanded extensive user data from Binance, including details of the top 100 users and transaction records. This request stems from concerns raised by the Central Bank Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, regarding $26 billion in unidentified transactions processed by Binance.
“We aim to chart a good relationship with the government and the people of Nigeria. We want to see our services restored in Nigeria very soon, but we have no intention of paying fines for personnel or services,” the crypto exchange has maintained.
