Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company, a Chinese firm, has announced the release of one of three Nigerian presidential jets seized under a French court order. The company’s spokesperson revealed this in a statement on Friday, explaining that the gesture of goodwill was in response to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s need for the aircraft for an upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The statement clarified, "An Airbus A330, currently detained in France due to a court order obtained by Zhongshan, is required for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France early next week. As a gesture of goodwill, Zhongshan has immediately lifted the seizure of that aircraft, allowing it to be used for the President’s trip."
This development follows the firm's previous action to secure a court order seizing three Nigerian presidential aircraft— a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and an Airbus A330-243—at airports in France. The dispute stems from a contract revoked by the Ogun State government in 2016, marking the latest arbitration case against Nigeria by a foreign company claiming the nation violated an agreement.
On Thursday, the Nigerian Federal Government announced that it had initiated both legal and diplomatic efforts to resolve the interim attachment of the three presidential aircraft in France.