A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive of Binance Holdings Ltd, against the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the EFCC. Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled on Wednesday that the suit was dismissed due to lack of diligent prosecution, as neither Anjarwalla nor his legal representative appeared in court.
The court noted that Anjarwalla's lawyer had previously sought to withdraw from the case on March 28, and since then, there had been no legal representation for the applicant. Anjarwalla, who is Binance’s Africa regional manager, had earlier escaped custody and fled to Kenya on March 22.
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Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, had jointly filed suits seeking release from detention, citing violations of their constitutional rights. Gambaryan’s case, however, will proceed as Justice Ekwo fixed July 9 for the hearing, following a motion by Gambaryan’s lawyer to amend their originating process.
Despite objections from the EFCC’s lawyer, the judge granted the amendment motion and imposed a fine of N50,000 against Gambaryan, payable before the next adjourned date. The court will hear the preliminary objection and substantive matters in Gambaryan’s case on the scheduled date.
