Ogun kicks as French court seizes three Nigerian presidential jets

The Ogun State Government has confirmed the recent seizure of three Nigerian government presidential aircraft by a French court.

The French court grounded the jets due to a contract dispute between the Ogun State government and Zhongshan, a Chinese company that had entered into an agreement with the state government.

The contract between the two parties, however, hit a deadlock and was revoked by the state government in 2016.

Following this disagreement, the Chinese firm took both the state government and the Federal Government to court, prompting the French court to seize the three presidential aircraft within its jurisdiction.

Earlier, an independent arbitral tribunal had awarded Zhongshan approximately $74.5 million in compensation. However, the Ogun State government, which disputes this award, has yet to honour it.

In a swift response, the state government described the judicial action as unfair and threatened to contest the order.

In a statement on Thursday, signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, the state government condemned the development as a new tactic by the Chinese company to seize Nigerian assets in foreign jurisdictions, noting that past efforts had continually failed.