Nigerian Guardian journalists have learned the identities of employees of the world's largest crypto exchange, Binance, detained in this African country, who came to negotiate with the local government.

One of the leaders of Binance's compliance team, former investigator of the cybercrime department of the US Internal Revenue Service, Tigran Gambaryan, and regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, arrived in Nigeria on February 25 at the invitation of the country's authorities. The purpose of the visit of senior Binance Holdings employees was to discuss with Nigerian officials the possibility of lifting the ban on the activities of the cryptocurrency exchange.

It is known that on February 26, Tigran Ghambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla met twice with government representatives. Moreover, the second meeting, according to members of the families of Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, was extremely hostile.

The next day, Binance Holdings representatives had their passports confiscated without explanation and were taken into custody in a secure area in the capital, Abuja. The detainees were subsequently presented with a court order authorizing detention for up to 14 days.

The arrest of senior managers occurred amid a scandal caused by accusations against Binance by the Nigerian government. The exchange is suspected of undermining the country's economy and being responsible for the fall in the value of the national Nigerian currency. The government has expressed its intention to impose a fine of at least $10 billion on the trading platform.