The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that the agency has taken decisive action to safeguard the stability of the foreign exchange market by freezing approximately 300 accounts.
Olukoyede made this disclosure on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the EFCC Headquarters.
According to Olukoyede, the EFCC has uncovered a concerning financial trading scheme known as the “P to P” peer-to-peer financial trading scheme, which operates outside the official banking and financial corridors.
“There are people in this country doing worse than Binance,” he said, adding that over $15 billion passed through one of the platforms in the last one year.
He expressed grave concerns over the potential repercussions of this scheme, warning of a looming disaster that could further destabilize the value of the Naira, which has already been under pressure.
In related news, the Kenya Police Service has successfully apprehended a senior executive of Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who had been evading authorities.
Anjarwalla’s arrest comes as efforts to extradite him to Nigeria gain momentum.
This development was confirmed by government sources on Sunday night, who spoke to Punch under the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on their authority to discuss the matter publicly.
One of the sources said, “Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has been arrested by the Kenya Police Service, and he would be extradited to Nigeria this week by INTERPOL.”
Another source noted, “As we had said before that Anjarwalla would be extradited, he has been arrested in Kenya, and he’ll be extradited to Nigeria this week.”
Anjarwalla’s escape from lawful custody in Nigeria prompted a concerted effort by Nigerian authorities to locate and bring him to justice.
The Federal Government had earlier disclosed that Anjarwalla had been traced to Kenya, leading to collaborative efforts with Kenyan authorities and INTERPOL to ensure his return to Nigeria to face charges against him.
A source that spoke on the development at the time said, “We have found him. We know where he is; he is in Kenya, and we’re working with the authorities to bring him back to Nigeria.
“All hands are on the deck, the government and all the security agencies are working hard in conjunction with the Kenyan authorities and INTERPOL, to ensure his return to Nigeria to face the charges brought against him.”
