The management of Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, a Chinese firm, has disclosed that its top officials were unlawfully detained and brutalized by the Nigerian Police Force during a contractual disagreement with the Ogun State Government. This mistreatment has led the company to seek the seizure of Nigerian assets overseas.
According to recent reports, a French court has ordered the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets. Two of these jets, a Dassault Falcon 7X and a Boeing 737, were part of Nigeria’s presidential air fleet, while the third is an Airbus 330 purchased by Nigeria but not yet delivered. All three planes were undergoing routine maintenance when the seizure occurred.
The litigation between Zhongshan and the Nigerian government arose due to a terminated contractual agreement between the company and the Ogun State Government. After a tribunal awarded Zhongshan approximately $74.5 million in compensation, which the state government failed to honor, the Chinese firm sought the intervention of the French court, leading to the seizure of the Federal Government’s aircraft.
Saturday PUNCH reported that Zhongshan might have rejected settlement discussions with the Ogun State Government due to the alleged assault on its officials. In its statement of claim to the French court, the company alleged that its personnel were physically harmed and threatened by police officers acting on orders from the state government following the revocation of its export processing zone management contract.
Zhongshan’s Chief Financial Officer, Wenxiao Zhao, described his mistreatment during his week-long detainment in Nigerian jails, where he was allegedly physically beaten on two occasions without any charges being filed against him. The company has claimed a loss of $1.078 billion due to the termination of the contract and has accused the Nigerian authorities of using intimidation tactics to forcefully remove its CEO, Dr. Jianxin Han.
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