Binance is also accused of operating in Nigeria without registration.

Nigeria’s tax agency is pursuing cryptocurrency company Binance for tax evasion, local reports say.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Monday reportedly filed tax evasion charges against the company at the high court in the capital, Abuja.

The charges include failure to pay taxes, failure to file tax returns, and aiding users of its platform to evade taxes.

Binance is also accused of operating in the West African country without registration.

The crypto platform tells Reuters that it is working with Nigerian authorities to resolve issue.

The lawsuit names two Binance executives currently detained in Nigeria – Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla – as defendants.

On Monday, online newspaper Premium Times reported that Mr Anjarwalla allegedly escaped custody and fled the country last Friday. Authorities have not confirmed this report.

Earlier this month, the Nigerian government demanded almost $10bn (£8bn) from the cryptocurrency firm as compensation for its alleged manipulation of exchange rates of the local naira currency.