Despite Binance's recent declaration of its withdrawal from Nigeria, two of its key executives are reportedly still being held in the country's capital, Abuja. According to a Wired report on March 12, Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent specializing in cryptocurrency matters, and Nadeem Anjarwala, Binance's second-ranking executive, remain detained in Abuja. Anjarwala has reportedly been held in Abuja for two weeks without access to his passport.
Gambaryan, who heads Binance's criminal investigations team, and Anjarwala, serving as Binance's regional manager for Kenya in Africa, have been in custody on government premises since February 26, 2024. The families of Gambaryan and Anjarwala have yet to receive information from Nigerian prosecutors regarding whether the detained individuals face criminal charges.
Yuki Gambaryan, Gambaryan's wife, expressed uncertainty about the situation, stating, "There are no clear answers to anything: how he is, what will happen to him, when will he come back." A Binance spokesperson confirmed on March 12 that both Gambaryan and Anjarwala remain in detention in Nigeria, adding that the exchange is collaborating with Nigerian authorities to ensure their safe return.
Binance representatives reiterated the professionalism and integrity of both executives, expressing confidence that the matter will be swiftly resolved. Reports of Gambaryan and Anjarwala's arrests emerged in late February, with the Financial Times initially reporting the detentions on February 28 without disclosing their identities.
Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, and Anjarwala, holding dual British-Kenyan citizenship, arrived in Abuja on February 25 at the invitation of the Nigerian government to address a dispute involving Binance's alleged illegal operations in Nigeria. However, instead of engaging in discussions, they were reportedly detained shortly after their initial meeting and held against their will at a guesthouse under the supervision of Nigeria's National Security Agency. Despite visits from officials representing the U.S. State Department and the British Foreign Office, the detainees have allegedly been prevented from private communication with these representatives.
The detentions of Gambaryan and Anjarwala occurred shortly after Binance's formal announcement of its complete withdrawal from Nigeria on March 5, marking the suspension of naira withdrawals and the removal of all trading pairs involving the naira from the platform. Additionally, Binance had disabled peer-to-peer trading of naira in late February, according to its exit strategy.
