Nigerian authorities are probing into the circumstances surrounding the escape of the detained executive, who reportedly fled despite lacking any travel documents.

According to reports from a local publication citing informed sources, a Binance executive detained by Nigerian authorities purportedly escaped detention using a counterfeit passport.

Simultaneously, other sources allege that the Nigerian government has initiated legal proceedings against the exchange for alleged tax evasion. Local media sources report that charges were formally filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Binance executive, along with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, had been held at a guest house in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, for several weeks. However, Anjarwalla's reported escape occurred on Friday, March 22, after he was escorted to a nearby mosque for prayers.

Reportedly, Anjarwalla departed from Abuja via a Middle Eastern airline. Nonetheless, the means by which he was able to board the international flight remains unclear, as his British passport, the document through which he entered Nigeria, remained under the custody of Nigerian authorities.

An immigration official disclosed that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a Kenyan passport, prompting authorities to investigate how he obtained it, given his lack of other travel documents while in custody.

During their detention, the detained individuals were allegedly afforded certain privileges, including access to cell phones.

Anjarwalla, serving as Binance's regional manager in Africa, and Gambaryan, a US citizen heading Binance's criminal investigations team, were apprehended upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26. Their detention followed a criminal complaint against them lodged at a magistrate court in Abuja.

Initially, the court permitted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to detain the pair for 14 days. Subsequently, the court extended their detention for an additional 14 days after Binance declined to comply with an order granting the Nigerian government access to data and information regarding Nigerian traders on its platform, citing concerns about evidence tampering.

The Nigerian government has been taking rigorous measures against individuals and entities associated with alleged terrorist financing and money laundering activities linked to the Binance crypto exchange. According to government sources, the exchange has purportedly been involved in laundering nearly $21 billion.