Three presidential Jets owned by the Nigerian government has reportedly been seized following a court ruling in France.
Two of the jets, part of the Nigerian presidential air fleet, were recently put up for sale, while the third, an Airbus 330, was purchased by Nigeria but not yet delivered.
The seizure of the presidential jets according to PREMIUM TIMES is a result of an application by Zhongshan, a Chinese company whose export processing zone management contract was revoked by the Ogun State government in 2016.
An independent arbitral tribunal chaired by the former President of the UK Supreme Court awarded Zhongshan about $74.5 million in compensation, but the Ogun State government, which has a dispute with Zhongshan, has yet to honour the award.
The Nigerian government is facing this backlash over an action taken by one of its subnationals with which Zhongshan has a business dispute.
The seized presidential jets include a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland.
All are currently undergoing maintenance. The Nigerian government reportedly paid over $100 million for the Airbus.
The court order prohibits the movement, sale, or purchase of the jets until Zhongshan receives the awarded $74.5 million. Bailiffs have served papers for each aircraft.
The federal government of Nigeria is yet to comment on the development.
