A representative for Mr. Anjarwalla said he left Nigeria “by lawful means.” A spokesman for Nigeria’s national security adviser said the country’s security agencies were working to obtain an international arrest warrant for him.
“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested,” the spokesman said.
After the escape, the Nigerian authorities confiscated Mr. Gambaryan’s phone. On March 25, he, Mr. Anjarwalla and Binance were charged with money laundering, tax evasion and other crimes. A judge ordered Mr. Gambaryan to be taken to Kuje, where the Islamic State staged a dramatic prison break in 2022 to free hundreds of its fighters.
Mr. Gambaryan’s family, friends and colleagues have been lobbying U.S. officials to secure his release. “They need to make it clear that this kind of injustice should not be tolerated,” Mr. Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, said in an interview.
A White House official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues, said the administration was working with the U.S. embassy in Nigeria to resolve the situation.
Mr. Gambaryan has lawyers representing him in Nigeria and is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing on Monday, a spokeswoman for his family said. Before he was taken to Kuje, Mr. Gambaryan recorded a video of himself in the courtyard of the guesthouse.
“Guys, I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said. “I’ve been a cop my whole life. I just ask the Nigerian government to let me go.”
Julian Barnes and Ruth Maclean contributed reporting.
This news is republished from another source.
