French court seizes Nigerian aircraft

A French court has seized three jets owned by the Nigerian Government amid a long-standing dispute with a Chinese company. The row stems from a 2007 contract between Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment and Nigeria's south-western Ogun State to develop a free-trade zone where a massive industrial park was planned to attract investors. The agreement was terminated between 2015 and 2016. According to the Financial Times, Zhongshan said it was forced out of the deal through a ‘campaign of illegal acts’. BBC News reports that the authorities in Nigeria have fiercely condemned the seizure of its planes, suggesting Zhongshan had a sole objective of ‘undercutting and scamming’ them. The aircraft were receiving ‘routine maintenance’ at the time, Nigeria's Government said. Nigeria's presidential office accused Zhongshan of mounting a wider campaign to seize its assets overseas. ‘This arm-twisting tactic by the Chinese company is the latest in a long list of failed moves to attach Nigerian Government-owned assets in foreign jurisdictions,’ said spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. In March 2021, an arbitration tribunal – chaired by the president of the UK Supreme Court – awarded $74.5m in compensation to the Chinese firm. Ogun State reportedly refused to pay this amount.