A Chinese firm, Zhongshang Fucheng Industrial Investment Ltd, has seized a jet owned by the Nigerian government in Canada.
The Bombardier 6000 type BD-700-1A10 aircraft, valued at $57 million, was repossessed by Canadian authorities in Montreal, following a court judgment in favour of Zhongshang.
Reliable sources confirmed that the change of custodian paperwork was recently finalized, months after a Canadian court granted orders for Zhongshang to seize the jet.
The company has vowed to continue seizing Nigeria’s assets anywhere they are found until the last cent of the arbitration awards has been paid.
The source said: “The court granted orders for Zhongshang to seize the plane earlier this year, but the change of custody from Nigeria to Zhongshang was only recently concluded.
“Zhongshang will not stop seizing Nigeria’s assets worldwide until the last cent of the arbitration awards has been paid”, it added.
The seized jet was originally purchased by Dan Etete, who received over $350 million from the sale of OPL 245 oil field in 2010. Nigeria seized the aircraft from Etete in 2016 and held it in Dubai before it was flown to Canada in 2020, where Nigeria quickly obtained a court order for seizure and held it at the main airport in Montreal.
Zhongshang moved to seize the jet in 2023, as part of its efforts to enforce arbitration awards of over $70 million against Nigeria.
Ruling on the suit filed by the company, Judge David Collier of the Superior Court of Quebec ruled Zhingshang favour, rejecting Nigeria’s sovereign immunity claim as the recent arbitration in the UK has held.
The seizure of the Nigerian government’s jet in Canada is the latest in a series of seizures of Nigeria’s assets by Zhongshang in various countries, including the UK, France, and Canada.
Despite losing in its appeal suits filed against Zhongshang in at least five countries, the Nigerian government insisted it had done no wrongdoing in the lawsuits, which stemmed from a mismanaged free trade zone contract between Chinese company and Ogun State Government.
