A Nigerian court has reportedly adjourned the country's tax evasion case against Binance to April 30 to allow the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) time to respond to a request made by the crypto exchange.

According to a Reuters report on April 7, Binance’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, urged the court to nullify a previous order that permitted legal documents to be served to the company via email.

Since Binance does not maintain a physical office in Nigeria, Ikwuazom argued that the FIRS failed to obtain proper court authorization to serve the documents outside the country.

“The order for substituted service granted by the court on February 11, 2025, to Binance—a company registered and based in the Cayman Islands—is improper and should be set aside,” he stated.

The FIRS filed the suit in February, accusing Binance of owing $2 billion in unpaid taxes and demanding an additional $79.5 billion in damages for allegedly destabilizing the Nigerian currency, the naira—claims Binance denies.

The tax agency also contends that Binance is liable to pay corporate income tax in Nigeria due to its “significant economic presence” in the country. It has requested that the court compel the exchange to pay taxes for 2022 and 2023, along with a 10% annual penalty on the unpaid amount and nearly 27% interest.

Nigeria’s legal history with Binance

In February 2024, Nigeria arrested and detained Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla on tax fraud and money laundering charges. The country dropped the tax charges against both in June and the remaining charge against Gambaryan in October.

Tigran Gambaryan (right) was seen in a September video struggling to walk into a courtroom in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

Anjarwalla managed to slip his guards and escape Nigerian custody to Kenya in March last year and is apparently still at large.

Gambaryan, a US citizen, returned home in October after reports suggested his health had deteriorated during his detainment with reported cases of pneumonia, malaria and a herniated spinal disc that may need surgery.

Binance stopped its naira currency deposits and withdrawals in March 2024, effectively leaving the Nigerian market.