A Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a fundamental rights case on Wednesday filed by Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Binance Holdings Ltd executive currently evading authorities. The case, brought against the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was dismissed by Justice Inyang Ekwo due to lack of diligent prosecution.
During the proceedings, neither Anjarwalla nor his legal representative appeared in court. Justice Ekwo highlighted that on March 28, Anjarwalla’s lawyer, Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, had requested to withdraw from the case, a motion that was granted. The case was adjourned to Wednesday for mention, but no one appeared on Anjarwalla’s behalf.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, had previously filed a similar lawsuit with his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, against the NSA and EFCC, seeking their release from detention. Anjarwalla escaped custody on March 22 and fled to Kenya. Both cases were before Justice Ekwo.
In the suits, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24 and FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24, Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, a US citizen responsible for financial crime compliance at Binance, argued that their detention and passport seizures violated Section 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), infringing on their right to personal liberty.
Justice Ekwo has scheduled a hearing for Gambaryan’s case on July 9 after his lawyer, Krukrubo, filed a motion to amend their originating process. Despite opposition from EFCC’s lawyer, Olarewanju Adeola, the amendment was allowed, with the judge noting the legal right to amend processes before judgment.
Additionally, Gambaryan was fined ₦50,000 in favor of the EFCC for procedural issues, which must be paid before the next hearing on July 9, where the court will address both the preliminary objection and the substantive matter.
