Speaking during the interview, Onanuga said the
cryptocurrency platform is causing massive losses for “fixing exchange rates”.
He said the federal government is seeking such retribution
from Binance for also fixing foreign exchange rates on its peer-to-peer
platform.
“The platform fixes the exchange rate for the country and it
is an illegal rate. The CBN is the only authority that can fix the exchange
rate for the country,” Onanuga said.
“Binance platform
harbours people who fix the exchange rate which quickly affects the Nigerian
economy for the time when Nigeria is trying to stabilize the economy.
“Binance staff cooperated with the government to provide
information.”
Prior to the interview, Onanuga had said Binance would
destroy Nigeria’s economy if the federal government did not clamp down on the
company.
On June 9, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) said the operations of Binance Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Binance,
were illegal.
Speaking on the infractions by the crypto exchange platform,
Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on February 27,
2024, said $26 billion passed through Binance Nigeria from unidentified sources
in one year.
Cardoso said the apex bank is collaborating with the SEC to
eliminate price manipulations in the FX market.
The CBN, had on February 20, announced a partnership with
the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to investigate and penalise
those involved in illicit activities within the FX market.
