A Chinese company has seized yet another Nigerian aircraft in Canada, adding to a string of recent confiscations. This action follows the seizure of three presidential planes by a French court on behalf of Zhongshan Fucheng, due to an ongoing dispute with the Ogun State Government. In a gesture of goodwill, the company agreed to release one of the three planes, particularly ahead of a scheduled meeting between President Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Despite the controversy surrounding its acquisition, President Tinubu used the released Airbus A330 business jet to travel to France on Monday. The Chinese firm had recently received updated custodian documents for the Bombardier 6000 type BD-700-1A10 aircraft from Canadian authorities in Montreal. This change came months after a Quebec court ruling allowed Zhongshan to seize the jet from Nigeria.
In its ongoing effort to enforce arbitration awards exceeding $70 million against Nigeria, Zhongshan has seized multiple Nigerian assets abroad. These include two properties in Liverpool, a Dassault Falcon 7X in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million, with the latest being the Bombardier 6000 in Canada.
On March 21, 2024, Judge David Collier of the Superior Court of Quebec dismissed Nigeria’s efforts to maintain ownership of the Bombardier 6000 jet. Records indicate that the jet, purchased for $57 million by Dan Etete—a fugitive—was part of a lavish spending spree following his receipt of over $350 million from the corrupt sale of the OPL 245 oil field in 2010.
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