Ex-DSS chief criticizes how the NSA handled the escape of a Binance executive

Dennis Amachree, a former assistant director of the Department of State Services, expressed regret about the way that Nadeem Anjarwalla, an escaping executive of Binance, escaped from the Office of the National Security Adviser’s (Nuhu Ribadu) detention.

This was said by Amachree on Monday’s Politics Today show on Channels Television.

According to Premium Times, Anjarwalla broke free from the guest house in Abuja where he and his colleague Tigran Gambaryan were being detained.

It was said that he made his getaway after being escorted to a neighboring mosque for prayers by a few on duty guards.

Amachree said in the interview that although he wasn’t sure if the National Security Agency (NSA), which advises the President, had a detention facility, it should have given the executives of the cryptocurrency company to the DSS or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for remand, if necessary, pending court appearances.

Amachree said, “I don’t know whether the NSA has a detention facility. The NSA is an advisory body to the President. So, if he (NSA Nuhu Ribadu) felt that the suspects should be remanded, he should have sent him to the EFCC or the DSS to keep until the date of the court but to keep him in a guest house where he has access to telephone?”

He said, “If the man has been flagged as a threat or a suspected person, he should have been watchlisted,” adding that Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, should have been placed on the watchlist with the Nigeria Immigration Service with their photos and names flagged at all airports across the country

In an attempt to curb naira speculation through strict measures on cryptocurrency exchanges, the Federal Government arrested the two top executives of Binance.

Binance is accused of not paying Value-Added Tax, Company Income Tax, not filing tax filings, and of conspiring to help users of its platform avoid paying taxes.

Possible scenario

The former assistant director of the DSS recalled that heads of state used to be remanded in places where they would sleep, eat, and pray.

Amachree could find no explanation for Anjarwalla’s disappearance after being guided to a neighboring mosque.

“For them now to allow him to go and pray? I think there are a lot of loopholes and lapses there. We have held heads of state in detention and they prayed where to live and eat and sleep. So, I don’t see why this particular guy will be allowed to go to the nearest mosque to pray and disappear.

“There is a compromise,” the security expert said, stressing that the fleeing suspect must have rubbed hands with some conniving security agents. “I’m happy they’ve arrested some of them. Let them interrogate them and tell us how much he gave them,” he said.

Anjarwalla’s escape was confirmed by the ONSA, but the FG stated that it is in discussions with the International Criminal Police Organization to get him (Anjarwalla) arrested again.

Additionally, it declared that it had started a manhunt for the Binance executive and had taken custody of the security guards that allowed him to flee.