The escape of Binance Executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from lawful custody while under a 14-day remand court order has sparked concerns about the susceptibility of Nigerian security agencies to manipulation. Seyi Adetayo, a retired Principal Staff Officer from the Department of State Services (DSS) and a Security and Intelligence expert, shed light on the vulnerabilities that could have facilitated Anjarwalla’s escape.
Adetayo highlighted two key factors that could easily compromise Nigerian security agencies: money and religion. He emphasized that individuals with nefarious intentions could exploit the greed of security personnel for financial gain and manipulate their religious tendencies to achieve their objectives.
According to Adetayo, the inducement of security personnel with monetary rewards under the guise of ensuring the well-being of a detainee could provide an avenue for escape. By framing the bribe as assistance in taking care of the detainee, perpetrators could deceive security officials into facilitating the escape without raising suspicion.
Additionally, Adetayo pointed out the potential exploitation of religious sentiments by falsely claiming that the detainee had religious obligations requiring special treatment. By fabricating a narrative about the detainee’s need to fulfill religious duties, individuals could manipulate security personnel into granting leniency or facilitating their escape.
In his words;
“Two things will easily give Nigerian Security agencies out. Number one, Money, two, Religion. You can easily exploit their greed for money and also exploit their religious tendency and those two played out and I can tell you how easily these could have been done”
“It’s not about telling them I want to give you money to help this man get out, all I need to do is to tell them I’m giving you this money to ensure that you help me to take good care of this man and that looks so armless and the moment you induce them for soft landing, I can easily tell them, he has a convenant with God every year, there’s a special prayer he needs to pray”
Adetayo revealed that Anjarwalla purchased the ticket he used to flee the country at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport on the same day of his escape. This suggests a meticulously planned operation orchestrated by individuals or groups with insider knowledge and the ability to circumvent security measures undetected.
The fact that Anjarwalla was able to navigate through the airport using the same name without raising suspicions indicates a glaring lapse in security. Adetayo emphasized that such a seamless escape could not have occurred without prior coordination and cooperation from certain quarters.
“He actually bought the ticket that he flew with right there at the Nnamdi Azikwe international airport on the same day and for him to have been able to make such a smooth movement, somebody must have planned it, some group of people must have worked out the detail to ensure that the guy will easily pass through Nnamdi Azikwe international airport using the same name undetected which means they must have checked that he was not on the watchlist”