On August 14, 2024, the Ogun State Government issued a statement addressing the provisional attachment of three Nigerian government-owned aircraft in France by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. (“Zhongshan”). The attachments were ordered by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 12, 2024, without proper notice to Nigerian authorities or legal representatives.
The Ogun State Government asserts that these aircraft are used solely for sovereign purposes and are immune from such attachments under international and French law. Zhongshan allegedly misled the Paris court and failed to disclose essential information about the nature of the assets.
The Ogun State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria, is actively working to lift these attachments and has taken legal steps to challenge similar attempts by Zhongshan. The dispute originates from a 2007 contract for managing a free-trade zone, which led to an arbitration panel’s 2019 decision awarding over $60 million against Nigeria. The current administration has resisted this decision and sought a reasonable settlement, but Zhongshan’s recent actions have complicated the negotiations.
The Ogun State Government reaffirms its commitment to protecting national assets and resolving the dispute through reasonable settlement options.