Nigerian authorities have moved to freeze millions of dollars of value held in cryptocurrency wallets, which media reports say is an attempt to cut funding to a protest movement

The move marks an escalation in a year-long crackdown on crypto use since Nigeria’s central bank alleged in February that crypto platforms enabled money flows through the country from unidentifiable sources.

In a Tuesday briefing to a government council chaired by President Bola Tinubu, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said his office initiated action to freeze $38 million held as crypto in digital wallets. The accounts allegedly received donations in support of nationwide cost of living protests that were held at the beginning of this month, local