The porosity in the Nigerian security system has once again been exposed by the recent escape of one of the detained Executive Officers of Binance, an online cryptocurrency trading platform, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who reportedly escaped from detention on Friday. The news made a mockery of the Nigerian government and its war against financial crimes under President Bola Tinubu.

Nadeem Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, were arrested and detained by the Nigerian government on their arrival in the country on February 26th amidst the accusations that their company engaged in the manipulation of the dollar against the naira. The government has since banned and blocked Binance from the Nigerian internet space.

The Binance executives were subsequently arraigned in court for tax evasion, money laundering, and other charges in the Federal High Court in Abuja which ordered them to provide the Nigerian government with information on Nigerians trading on its platform. The government also secured the order of a Magistrate court to detain the executives, first for fourteen days and renewed for another fourteen days. The order was still in force when the suspect escaped from custody.

Among other charges, the government also accused Binance of failing to register with FIRS for tax purposes, engaging in economic sabotage, including nonpayment of VAT, and helping its customers to evade taxes through its platform. Additionally, Binance was accused of failing to collect and remit various taxes to the federal government, which is against Section 40 of the FIRS Act of 2007.

However, it was surprising that the suspect, who was being held in custody, managed to wriggle out of custody despite being under the watch of security personnel. According to media reports, Anjarwalla escaped from the DSS’s Abuja guest house, where he and a colleague were detained on Friday, March 22, 2024, after guards led him to a nearby mosque for Jumat prayers. The security operatives in the country are still confused about how the suspect managed to get out of the country with an imported Kenyan passport.

A lot of security and intelligence officers have alleged compromise in the way and manner the suspect escaped from custody and also from Nigeria. This situation has been used as a metaphor to describe the Nigerian security situation and why it has been ineffective against terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. In some of these situations, security personnel have been accused of negligence and or conspiracy with those involved.

There is no doubt that the country only works for the highest bidder even at the expense of national security. Penetration into special security guards is not novel in the country, It will be recalled that a former governor of Oyo State and one-time Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the late Chief Bola Ige was once a victim of security porosity.

Despite being a Minister of the country, Chief Ige was shot in his house on December 23, 2001, by unknown gunmen in Ibadan after his security took permission to go and eat. Twenty-three years down the line, the government is yet to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The nation’s security situation has dipped in recent times with a growth in the number and types of crimes in the country. Incidents, such as kidnappings and abductions are on the rise. Recently, it was reported that 287 schoolchildren were abducted in Kaduna, and only 137 were released but the government has claimed that the figure of 287 was incorrect. Also, 17 soldiers and 6 police officers were recently killed in Delta State.

The escalation of violence in the Niger Delta, particularly the ongoing killings of police officers and soldiers, is perceived as an attempt to throw the area into yet another season of bloodbath to sabotage oil extraction. A prolonged cessation of oil exports may lead to an unprecedented economic crisis and immense social upheavals.

Though President Tinubu has made several promises to tackle insecurity, there have not been many positive results, as there are speculations that there could be some powerful elements who are willing to sabotage his efforts and portray his government as a failure.

It is, however, glaring that the government may be suffering some internal sabotage in addition to kinetic security shortcomings. This has been exemplified by the leaks of confidential memos from federal parastatals, including from the presidency. The government has expressed concern about the system’s lack of confidentiality and its potential to sabotage the country.

The escape of the Binance executives has caused Nigeria a big embarrassment within the country and internationally. The government has declared. Nigerians can only be more worried about the risks to the populace, government, and national economy as long as security lapses on all fronts persist in the nation.