One of the two Binance executives, Nadeem Anjarwalla, detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, has escaped from lawful custody, those familiar with the matter told Premium Times. Premium Times reported that Mr Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, 22 March, from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
The Briton, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle East airliner. It remains unclear how Mr Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, remaining in the custody of the Nigerian authorities.
Ghana’s Gross International Reserves (GIR) excluding Encumbered Assets and Petroleum Fund increased by 9.99% in the first two months of 2024 to $4.02 billion in February 2024. This is equivalent to 1.8 months of import cover. In December 2023, the Gross International Reserves stood at $3.66 billion, about 1.7% of import cover. It inched up to $4.17 billion in January 2024 but declined slightly to $4.02 billion in February 2024.
According to the Bank of Ghana’s March 2024 Summary of Economic and Financial Data, the country’s reserves have been growing consistently albeit slightly since August 2023. Meanwhile, the country’s trade surplus stood at $392.8 million, about 0.5% of Gross Domestic Product in February 2024. This is lower than the $862.5 million (1.1% of GDP) recorded during the same period in 2023.
At least 17 people were killed in Somalia after the Islamist group al Shabaab attacked the Busley military base, in the Lower Shabelle region in the country’s southwest. “Several suicide car bombs attacked the base after fierce fighting, al Shabaab briefly captured the base. Then, government reinforcement fiercely battled and drove out al Shabaab,” a Somalia military officer told Reuters. Seven Somalia soldiers, including the commander of the base, and 10 al Shabaab fighters were killed in the fighting, he said. Some residents told Reuters al Shabaab also burnt military vehicles and took others. Al Shabaab issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. It said it had killed 57 government soldiers. Somalia government officials could not be reached for comment.