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Binance’s battle with the Nigerian government has taken a new turn, as users in the West African country are now blocked from participating in airdrop campaigns.
Users Told Service No Longer Available
Weeks after Binance’s battle with the Nigerian government reignited, users of the cryptocurrency exchange in the West African country are reportedly being blocked from participating in airdrop campaigns. According to a DL News report, Nigerian users attempting to join Binance’s crypto giveaway campaigns have received notices informing them that this service is not available to them.
The report quotes some Binance users in Nigeria lamenting what they see as a pattern of restrictions against residents of the West African nation. As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Binance, which has been embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Nigerian government officials, has already removed naira trading pairs from its platform and barred Nigerians from using its peer-to-peer platform.
The cryptocurrency exchange took these steps in an attempt to appease the Nigerian government, which had detained its employee, Tigran Gambaryan. Initially, government complaints against Binance centered on the exchange’s indifference to the activities of illegal currency traders, whom officials blame for fueling the naira’s rapid depreciation. Later, officials began accusing Binance of spiriting out of Nigeria billions of dollars and of not paying taxes.
The dispute, however, seemed to have ended after the U.S. and Nigerian governments reached an agreement that ultimately led to Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, being released on health grounds. However, Gambaryan’s interview with a U.S. media outlets, along with a post on X reiterating claims that Nigerian politicians had solicited a bribe, appeared to reignite the feud.
According to the DL News report, the feud has impacted some Nigerian youth who were earning money through Binance’s crypto giveaway program. Chike Nnadi, a university student and crypto trader, expressed frustration at being blocked from the program.
“It’s a pity that for a crypto-loving country like Nigeria, our access to the industry is becoming severely limited as the days go by. Imagine being able to earn such an amount of money in a country where most people are living below the poverty line, and now to have that opportunity taken away—it’s frustrating,” Nnadi said.
Nigerian crypto analyst Rume Ophi noted that the restrictions could slow the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, the report revealed that a Nigerian judge has postponed to April a hearing in which the Nigerian government is demanding more than $80 billion from Binance.
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