ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Government has condemned the recent seizure of three Nigerian presidential aircraft by a French court, calling it a “unfair” tactic by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese company involved in a long-standing contract dispute with the state.
The seizure stems from a 2007 agreement between Zhongshan and the Ogun State Government for the management of a free-trade zone. The contract was revoked by the state in 2016 following a dispute, leading Zhongshan to pursue legal action against both Ogun State and the Federal Government.
A French court, acting on Zhongshan’s claims, seized the three presidential aircraft, including a newly purchased Airbus, despite the state government’s assertion that the jets are immune from attachment under international and French law.
Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, issued a statement on Thursday, accusing Zhongshan of deliberately withholding information from the Nigerian government and its legal counsel during the legal proceedings. He also alleged that the company misled the French court about the nature and use of the seized assets.
“Shockingly, it also appears to have misled the Judicial Court of Paris about the use and nature of the assets it seeks to attach and failed to make full disclosure to the court as required by law,” Akinmade stated.
Ogun State, in conjunction with the Federal Government, is taking swift action to have the provisional attachments lifted. The state government likened the situation to the P&ID case, describing it as another instance of “unscrupulous individuals posing as foreign investors with the sole aim of defrauding Ogun State and Nigeria.”
The state government further highlighted the flawed arbitration process that awarded Zhongshan over $60 million in compensation despite the company only constructing a perimeter fence around the free-trade zone.
Ogun State has vowed to contest the French court’s order and is working with the Federal Government to ensure the release of the seized aircraft. The incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of Nigerian assets to legal actions by foreign companies, particularly in cases involving disputed contracts and arbitration awards.
