Chinese Firm Releases Seized Nigerian Jet Amid Legal Dispute

A Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd., has released a Nigerian government-owned jet seized by a French court. The 2007 contract dispute involves the development of a free trade zone in Ogun state. The release aims to facilitate talks for a compromise settlement.

A Chinese firm at the center of a legal dispute with Nigeria has freed a government-owned jet seized by a French court as a gesture of goodwill to enable negotiations, the company announced on Friday.

Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. stated it lifted the seizure of the Nigerian presidential Airbus A330 to demonstrate its intention to act reasonably and attend to the dispute, which originated from a 2007 contract with Nigeria's Ogun state. The contract, aimed at creating a free trade zone, was terminated in 2015, with the Nigerian government accusing Zhongshan of only building a perimeter fence on the designated land.

'Zhongshan is committed to engaging in serious and substantial negotiations with representatives of the Nigerian Federal Government, aiming for a rapid and reasonable compromise settlement,' the company reiterated. The Nigerian government has yet to respond to requests for comment.