A Kenyan executive, who leads the operations of a popular cryptocurrency firm in Africa has reportedly escaped detention in Nigeria where he was being held on tax evasion charges.
News of the escape was first reported by a Nigerian publication Premium Times on Monday, March 25. The reports indicated that the suspect escaped from a guest house where he was being detained with others.
Initial reports indicated that he had been given permission to attend Ramadhan prayers in a nearby mosque but used the window to flee.
The tycoon holds dual citizenship in Kenya and the United Kingdom.
It is suspected that the crypto boss flew out of the country using his Kenyan passport as Nigerian authorities had already confiscated his passport.
Nigerian authorities have maintained that the crypto boss did not have the Kenyan passport at the time of arrest.
While it is believed that the tycoon used a Middle Eastern airline to escape Nigeria, his destination largely remains unknown.
The suspect was arrested on February 26 and was being investigated for allegedly overseeing the movement of Ksh3.6 trillion (USD26 billion) of suspicious funds.
At the time, he was the African regional executive of the cryptocurrency company.
Granting prayers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a Nigerian court on February 28, allowed the tycoon to be detained for 14 more days as investigations continue.
It is now being reported that after the court allowed more days for investigations, the Kenyan national was given a comfortable guest house.
In there, he had unfettered access to a mobile phone and it is believed that is how he planned his escape.
