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International Holocaust Memorial Day: Tales from the Land of a Thousand Hills

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By Dolapo Aina

If you save a life; you save the whole world – a Jewish saying

Kigali, Rwanda.

The International Holocaust Memorial Day is a unique day and in the year 2020; the day fell on a Monday. Events had already kicked off a week earlier with a commemoration event with over fifty world leaders, Presidents, Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses gathered in Israel. And a conference organised by Moshe Kantor (an international public figure, President of European Jewish Congress and the founder of World Holocaust Forum).

Some days later, Monday, 27th of January 2020 to be precise, events were held globally to commemorate The International Holocaust Memorial Day. A day set aside to remember and reflect and share the stories of the trails, tribulations Jews went through during World War Two and the liberation of Auschwitz by Russian soldiers. To be precise, the date is remembered as the day Russian troops liberated the few survivors who remained at Auschwitz in Poland in 1945. The Holocaust was a Nazi attempt to rid the world of Jews. As BBC’s Tim Franks puts it; it was a methodical and industrial Genocide.

The event commemorated in Rwanda for the first time (a country which experienced one of the world’s worst genocide: The Genocide Against The Tutsi) by the Embassy of Israel. The Ambassador of Israel to Rwanda (Dr Ron Adam) who as a diplomat at the UN was behind the adoption by the United Nations of January 27th as the International Holocaust Memorial Day and the International Commemoration Day. This commemoration held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial (a place that rests circa 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi). What awaited this writer was not envisioned and unlike the motto for the Boys Scouts; Be Prepared; I wasn’t prepared for the intense tales at the ceremony and the remembrance-laced speeches of the speakers like Umutoniwase Blandine who recited her Poem: Why Remember? Belgian author, Michel Kichka; UN Rwanda Resident Coordinator Fode Ndiaye; Chaya Singer representing the World Jewish Congress; Rwanda’s Minister of Youth and Culture, Mrs Rosemary Mbabazi; Ambassador of Germany in Rwanda, Dr Thomas Kuvz; Ambassador of Israel in Rwanda, Dr Ron Adam. Whilst Rabbi of Rwanda, Haim Bar Sella led the prayer session. And the short stories by Mr David Frankel (who survived Holocaust).

The Holocaust stories were heart-breaking to listen to but at this juncture for those who don’t have an understanding of what The Holocaust is about. The Auschwitz website reveals that the Auschwitz concentration camp was a complex of over forty concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschwitz I, the main camp (Stammlager) in Oswiecim; Auschwitz 2–Birkenau, a concentration and extermination camp built with several gas chambers; Auschwitz 3–Monowitz, a labour camp created to staff a factory for the chemical conglomerate IG Farben; and dozens of subcamps. The camps became a major site of the Nazis’ Final Solution to the Jewish Question.

Still from the Auschwitz’s website; after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, sparking World War II, the Schutzstaffel (paramilitary organisation) converted Auschwitz I, an army barracks, into a prisoner-of-war camp for Polish political prisoners. The first gassings of Soviet and Polish prisoners took place in block 11 of Auschwitz I around August 1941. Construction of Auschwitz II began the following month, and from 1942 until late 1944 freight trains delivered Jews from all over German-occupied Europe to its gas chambers.

Now, the statistics are mindboggling. One million three hundred thousand people sent to Auschwitz and one million one hundred thousand died. Breaking down the figures; the death toll includes 960,000 Jews (865,000 of whom were gassed on arrival). 74,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war, and up to 15,000 other Europeans.[5] Those not gassed died of starvation, exhaustion, disease, individual executions, or beatings. Others were killed during medical experiments. At least 802 prisoners tried to escape and 144 successfully.

As the Soviet Red Army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, toward the end of the war, the SS sent most of the camp’s population west on a death march to camps inside Germany and Austria. Soviet troops entered the camp on 27 January 1945, a day commemorated since 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

According to the website; just a few months after the end of the war a group of Polish survivors began to proselytise about the concept of commemorating the victims of Auschwitz. As soon as it was possible, some of them came to the former camp to protect its buildings and ruins. Their efforts resulted in setting up the so-called Permanent Former Auschwitz Camp Security and took care of thousands of people who started arriving in large numbers to search for traces of their relatives and to pay tribute to the victims.

And before the Museum was officially established, former prisoners prepared the first exhibition on the camp site, opened on 14 June 1947. The opening ceremony was attended by approximately 50 thousand people, including survivors, relatives of the murdered, people from all over Poland and delegated Polish state authorities, as well as representatives from the Central Commission for Investigation of German Crimes, the Central Jewish History Commission, and delegates of the British, Czechoslovakian and French embassies.

For several decades the former camp was visited annually by circa 500-600 thousand people; from the beginning of the 21st century that number began to grow. More than a million people from all over the world visit the Museum annually since 2007 and more than 44 million people from all over the world have visited Auschwitz since 1945 and the highest number of visitors was registered in 2019, when 2,32 million people visited Auschwitz.

Back to the stories told by some of the speakers at the event at the Kigali Genocide Memorial; the Belgian author and cartoonist Michel Kichka stated that while growing up, his father was a silent survivor just like the majority of Holocaust survivors and his father was convinced his silence would protect his children. But he only began to speak out after Michel Kichka’s brother committed suicide in 1988 and on the day of the funeral of his brother. He began to talk about his personal tragedy of the Holocaust and he has been talking ever since. Michel Kichka made a profound statement when he said ’truth doesn’t kill’. The stories of Michel Kichka’s families’ travails would leave any listener silent.

During his speech; the Israeli Ambassador to Rwanda, Ambassador Ron Adam stated that the day was a special day for him. He further stated that ‘as a son of Holocaust survivors, this day brings the memory of my mother, Eve Frankel. As a 9-years-old child she went through horrific events which changed her life.’

I’ve read some books on World War Two and The Holocaust and I’ve heard of stories from children and grandchildren (some who are friends in Nigeria and Rwanda) of victims of The Holocaust. But until Monday, the 27th of January 2020; I had not met or heard directly from a survivor of The Holocaust. That changed. It is a totally different thing to listen to a survivor of The Holocaust. Mr David Frankel who is eighty-four years old is a Holocaust survivor and he spoke for some minutes. His moving tales of what he went through and what family members (two girls who lived in a forest for almost two years and only survived eating leaves and tree branches. No one knew they were alive till several years later) went through were so vivid like it happened a week ago and not 75 years ago. He commenced by taking those in attendance back to Budapest, Hungary. 19th March 1944. And one profound statement he made was ‘if I’ve to see my grandparents, I’ve to go to Auschwitz.’

After the event and after discussing with Mr David Frankel, Mr Michel Kichka; Ms Chaya Singer and others present; one had a better understanding of why states like Israel and Rwanda have to keep on commemorating and remembering their tribulations; in essence, so that history isn’t denied or edited. And most especially, so that such despicable cruelty (industrialised Genocide) doesn’t take place again. For as Ambassador Ron Adam stated and I paraphrase ‘if the history of The Holocaust had been taught; the world won’t have allowed the Genocide against The Tutsi in 1994.’

That evening with the thoughts of what I heard from children, grandchildren and a survivor of The Holocaust racing through my mind as I ruminated; a BBC World Service special report on the commemoration aired. The BBC Europe correspondent Kevin Connolly who was present at the commemoration at Auschwitz stated that The Holocaust and Auschwitz were terrible chapters of human history that happened in living memory.

A Holocaust survivor (Bath-Sheba Dagan; born in 1925) narrated a story of how new inmates always asked ‘where the world leaders were as the atrocities took place in their hour of need?’ And she said to those at the ceremony ‘where was everybody, where was the world who could see that; who could see that and did nothing to save all those thousands?’ According to the BBC European correspondent; Bath-Sheba lost her place in her notes and spoke from memory. The report from Mr Connolly also mentioned other survivors of Auschwitz; like Mrs Elza Baker (who was seven years old when she was in Auschwitz). Because she has sight challenges, she gave an initial speech and her prepared notes where read by a lady. She had gone through a lot of pain but was still concerned about Bath-Sheba’s story. So much so that as she spoke in English (since she has lived in the UK for sixty years), you could hear her upset as she gathered her words. Another Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski gave a lucid speech and took the audience way back to Berlin in the 1930s of how everything began with little incidences of stigmatisation, alienation and exclusions of the Jews which became the norm for the victims, perpetrators, witnesses and bystanders. He had to say this because of a comment (Auschwitz didn’t fall from the skies) by the President of Austria when both of them met some years ago. He then gave a personal experience of a trip to America in the early sixties on a scholarship. During a civil rights match with Martin Luther King and others; when people knew that he was at Auschwitz; they asked him if what happened there can happen again. He said, it can happen anywhere; it can happen when the civil rights are broken; when people do not obey the laws of minorities. And he stated that only you can ensure the rights of minorities aren’t trampled on.

I had to watch the ceremony via Youtube to get a sense and better understanding of how the ceremony on Monday, the 27th of January 2020 went. And watching the images of the commemoration at Auschwitz and the survivors; it was and still is a lesson from history; as one heard of how old people were put in the gas chambers; of how human beings were recycled. All vivid descriptions, vivid memories and clarity. One of the features of The Holocaust and other Genocides is that of prolonged silence and in some cases; unwillingness to speak by the victims. On the issue of silence, a particular elderly lady (Anita Lasker-Wallfisch; a famous cellist and publisher of three books (educated at Cambridge University); who was born July 17, 1925 and is 94 years. And who is a surviving member of the Women’s Orchestra in Auschwitz) interviewed for BBC The Documentary stated that ‘as a survivor, you feel a sense of responsibility and obligation to be the voice for those who cannot talk anymore.’

There are several moral lessons from the 27th of January commemoration of The Holocaust which was basically an industrialised Genocide. One Jewish quote encapsulates it all; if you save a life; you save the whole world.

Photo Credit: Embassy of Israel in Rwanda

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Okuama Massacre: Military Declares Eight Persons Wanted

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The Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State.

The military released the list on Thursday at a briefing in Abuja.

Those declared wanted are Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (Aka Amagben), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukeywe, Reuben Baru, and Igoli Ebi.

During the briefing, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, called on Nigerians especially residents of Delta and adjoining states to assist the military with credible information that would lead to the arrest of eight persons allegedly responsible for the killing of seventeen soldiers in Okuama community in Delta State.

General Buba says the military remains determined to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous act in Delta State, reaffirming its commitment to rescue all kidnapped and abducted victims in Nigeria.

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How CJMR Has Championed Restoration of Justice to Unjustly Incarcerated, Condemned – Founder, Olujobi

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By Eric Elezuo

“At CJMR, we stand firm on our scriptural foundation: ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice…,” Pastor Olujobi 

Most citizens of the world are endowed with milk of human kindness, and are ever ready to lend a helping hand to folks in need, either for cash or kind. One of these citizens is a Nigerian of special breed, filled with compassion and zeal to assist wrongfully detained persons to regain their freedom. He is Mr. Hezekiah Olujobi, who is leading the fight against wrongful detention and elongated detention without trial with his Non-Governmental Organization, the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR).

The CJMR as stated, is NGO dedicated to promoting human rights and advocacy within the Nigeria Correctional Service and strengthening the rule of law in Nigeria Criminal Justice System, according to the Founder, Mr. Olujobi.

“Our area of focus are Advocacy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Investigation, Cases review, Rehabilitation of individual upon freedom and Restorative Justice in Criminal Matter,” he added.

The CJMR as an organization, was established in 1999, and was officially registered in 2009. It has since then accumulated an enviable and proven track record of facilitating the release of individuals from death row, some of whom had been unjustly incarcerated for 18 to 28 years.

“Additionally, over 600 inmates have been freed from illegal detention after 4 to 12 years without trial. The organization has also established a Halfway Home that has benefited over 300 individuals.

“Our activities cut across the Correctional service in South West: Oyo, Odun , Ogun and Lagos States. We still have over 100 cases for intervention including 10 people on death row whom we strongly believed they are victims of wrongful conviction,” Olujobi stressed.

Hezekiah Olujobi, also known as a Pastor, for his vocation as a preacher of the gospel, who is the founder of CJMR, is currently working on two books to project the work of the organization so far.

The first, “Their Stories Behind Bars,” is a collection of narratives from individuals wrongfully sentenced to death and how the organization helped secure their rrlease, while the second book, “Their Hurts and Unforgettable Memories,” delves into the stories of victims and offenders, exploring their deep hurts and the healing process through restorative justice.

The following stories below as told by Pastor Olujobi, carefully epitomizes how far the NGO has gone to put smiles on the faces of individuals, who have otherwise lost hope of ever living their lives among free people again

Olaniyi Emiola’s Wrongful Conviction: My Belief in His Innocence

Olaniyi Emiola was sentenced to death based on witness testimony that was a case of mistaken identity. The armed robber apprehended at the crime scene insisted he was not the person being referred to and claimed he did not know Emiola at all. However, one of the victims, who recognized Emiola by the name “Abija,” insisted that he was the culprit. Emiola was known in the streets as “Abija,” not “Niyi,” yet the robber mentioned a “Femi Niyi,” not “Abija.” The man in question is Olaniyi Emiola, not Femi Niyi. During the trial, it was claimed that the robber identified the house of their leader to them, who is known as Abija,

In this controversial case, the conclusion of judgment of my noble lord, Hon Justice Jimoh of the Tribunal Court, was as follows:

“It is our considered judgment that the discovery of the second accused in the house pointed out by the first accused to the prosecution, and the discovery of the stolen items in the house shown to the police by the first accused, are admissible and well taken. Referencing R. v. Garbett (1847) 2 C & K 474 and R. v. Treacy (1945) 30 CAR 93, with these authorities in view, the second accused has been properly identified and linked with the commission of the crime charged.

Since the prosecution has adduced sufficient evidence to place the second accused at the scene at the material time, his alibi defense is logically and physically demolished.

This was established by the Supreme Court in the cases of Patrick Njovens vs. The State (1973) 5 SC 17 at 65 and Christian Nwosisi v. The State (1976) 6 SC 109 at 112.

It is my considered judgment that since the defense of the second accused has failed and, by the acceptable evidence of the prosecution witnesses, the accused has fallen into the warm embrace of the law, and I so hold.

SENTENCE: OLANIYI EMIOLA – The sentence of the Tribunal upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead or suffer death by firing squad, as the Administrator of this State may direct. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

This was the judgment that sent a man to darkness and anguish, leaving him to await execution in a solitary cell for 11 years without the right to appeal, luckily for him, the abolition of execution was announced in Nigeria.

Reprieve came when we visited Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in 2007. We investigated the matter by analyzing the entire judgment and all the contents of the case file. We took up his case, amplified his voice of innocence, and refuted all the arguments in light of the existing facts recorded in the judgement.

Olaniyi Emiola was finally set free in January 2011, after 17 years had been wrongfully taken from his life.

One can only imagine what would have happened if execution had not been abolished in Nigeria.

CJMR’s Advocacy visit to the Oyo State Attorney General

The organisation has also taken its advocacy to the Attorney General’s office in Oyo State, and achieved certain parameters as represented in the narrative below:

“On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Committee for Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) conducted an advocacy visit to the office of the Oyo State Attorney General. The purpose of the visit was to highlight the plight of numerous inmates who have been denied justice and are enduring the prolonged anguish of indefinite trials for capital offenses.

The primary goal of the visit was to bring to the Attorney General’s attention specific cases of individuals who appear to have been wrongfully accused of capital offenses and have been languishing in detention since 2015 without legal advice. Additionally, there are those who have been repeatedly taken to the High Court since 2017 without the prosecution presenting a single witness.

In a recent development on March 18 and 19, 2024, the Oyo State Chief Judge, Honorable Justice Iyabo Yerima, visited the custodial centers in Ibadan and Oyo. She firmly resolved not to address any capital offense cases, maintaining her stance throughout the jail delivery exercise. Consequently, 32 inmates were released from Agodi and 38 from Oyo, totaling 70 releases from facilities that house 1,250 and 827 inmates, respectively. The data clearly indicates that a significant proportion of detainees charged with capital offenses remain unaddressed.

Pastor Olujobi further noted that “During the CJMR’s visit, seven recommendations were proposed to enhance the efficiency of justice delivery by the Attorney General’s office, and a list of 32 individuals awaiting legal advice was submitted.”

The Attorney General, known for his humility and activism, pledged to collaborate with the CJMR.

He further acknowledged that “It is a profound injustice for individuals, even those apprehended with substantial evidence, to be detained indefinitely, risking the degradation of evidence and waning interest or resolve of witnesses. The slow turn of the justice system’s wheels can erode its very foundation.

“Similarly, it is an injustice for an innocent person to endure punishment due to procedural delays or inefficiencies.

The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is a fundamental principle of democratic societies, yet it is undermined when the process to establish innocence is plagued by excessive delays. The time for change is now.

Olujobi is also of the view that “The judiciary must move beyond a confessionary-based approach to prison decongestion and focus on those unjustly detained for capital offenses.”

From Darkness to Light: The Unraveling of Injustice and the Triumph of Freedom for Olusola Adepetu after 26 years behind bar

In this scenario, the police conducted a comprehensive investigation, and the defense attorney performed admirably. However, despite these efforts, the judge appeared to succumb to public pressure, reminiscent of Pontius Pilate’s historical decision, resulting in Olusola Adepetu being wrongfully sentenced to death.

Tragically, this miscarriage of justice led to the loss of 26 years of Adepetu’s life.

The appellant, a native of Ondo state was 34 years old at the time of his arrest, a father of 4 children with a broken home.

He was the owner of Olusola Naturalist Hospital. He was a Guru in herbal traditional-medicine, very popular with radio and television advertisements.

He cures all manner of ailment, he was a highlife socialite, he was a member of special marshal of Federal Road Safety Commission, due to the nature of his work as herbal traditional medicine healer he was highly connected with people in high places who always patronized him and in the world ravaged with deceases people always throng his office to seek healing for their ailments.

He is not a medical doctor but always referred to as Doctor Olusola.

All of a sudden, the light of his fame and popularity went off, he was enveloped with thick darkness. For a good 26 years he never walks under the moon nor is beaten by rain.

What happened?

His girlfriend was murdered in a mysterious way, three days later, her dead body was recovered by the police at the Express way, Sanyo, Ibadan and deposited at mortuary in Adeoyo state Hospital. Who must have done this?

Nobody knows till today. The relations who were in the shop of the father of his girlfriend who saw him when he came to pick the deceased and the bar man who saw him the previous day with the deceased pointed touch light on him.

Upon his arrest, rumors went round the whole city like wildfire and consumed the heart of men, same Radio and Television stations where his advertisements were being jingled, announced his arrest, all kinds of rumors went round the city, his case became a celebrated case.

He was consumed by the public adverse opinion.

With all kinds of rumors, the death of the lady was attributed to ritual killing, some said he cut the breast of the lady, some said he cut her private part for the ritual purpose.

At every court adjournment the whole court room and the premises will always be filled up with people. The case attracted the public interest. Like Pontius Pilate, the judge has no choice than to deliver the innocent man as a sacrificial lamb not for the world but for his likely hidden sin.

Light shines on his path again, when we unravel the case file documents with the dissenting judgement and the man regains his freedom after 26 years.

The critical question is: Who will advocate for the poor and helpless? It is us;
The Chief Judge, Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, and all stakeholders must be involved. And this where CJMR comes in, and the organization are doing it.

“We therefore call for wholesome assistance from all and sundry to sustain the tempo, and help our people, who graciously need the assistance,” Olujobi concluded.

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Binance Executive Detained in Nigeria Escapes from Custody

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One of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has escaped from lawful custody, according to PREMIUM TIMES report.

Our sources said 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.

Authorities are also said to be working to unravel his intended destination in a bid to get him back into custody.

An Immigration official said the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport. He, however, said authorities were trying to determine how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him when he was taken into custody.

Another source said the two officials were held at a “comfortable guest house” and allowed many rights, including the use of telephones, a privilege Mr Anjarwalla is believed to have exploited to plot an escape.

When contacted Sunday night on the escape of the Binance executive from detention, the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, said he would enquire and revert. He has yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

Mr Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on 26 February 2024.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On 28 February 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days. The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.

Following Binance’s refusal to comply with the order, the court extended the remand of the officials for an additional 14 days to prevent them from tampering with evidence. The court then adjourned the case till 4 April 2024.

Also on 22 March, the Nigerian government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja and slammed another four-count charge on Binance Holdings Limited, Mr Anjarwalla and Mr Gambaryan, accusing them of offering services to subscribers on their platform while failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay all relevant taxes administered by the Service and in so doing, committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as Amended).

The defendants were also accused of offering taxable services to subscribers on their trading platform while failing to issue invoices to those subscribers to determine and pay their value-added taxes and, in so doing, committed an offence contrary to and punishable under S.29 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as amended).

Count Three of the charges accused the three defendants of offering services to subscribers on their Binance trading platform for the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies and the remittance and transfer of those assets while failing to deduct the necessary Value Added Taxes arising from their operations and thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service Establishment Act 2007 (as amended).

The last count of the charges wants the defendants punished for allegedly aiding and abetting subscribers on their Binance trading platform to unlawfully refuse to pay taxes or neglect to pay those taxes and, in so doing, committing an offence contrary to and punishable under the provisions of S.94 of the Companies Income Tax Act (as amended).

The Nigerian government had, in the past three months, been cracking down on suspected money launderers and terrorism financiers, some of whom it alleged are using the Binance platform for criminal activities

The Nigerian government said over $21.6 billion was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance.

Source: Premium Times

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