The Federal Government has maintained that the presidential aircraft are sovereign assets and cannot be seized despite the ruling of the US Appeal Court.
The federal government said the US appeal court ruling in its dispute with a Chinese form, cannot stand in a commercial venture.
A Paris court in France recently ordered the seizure of three jets belonging to the Nigerian government, following an arbitral award to Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a Chinese firm.
The court ruled that the firm should use the three jets at the Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports “as security for its claim of EUR 74,459,221”.
The Presidency and the Ogun State Government had accused the firm of attempting to fraudulently acquire Nigeria’s offshore assets.
In a statement released on Thursday, Kamarudeen Ogundele, a media aide of Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), said the AGF and National Security Adviser (NSA) have commenced steps to set the order aside.
“We wish to clarify that, though the dispute originated from engagements of Ogun state government, however, the consequential enforcement actions are being directed against the federal government and its assets in line with extant principles of international law which holds that the actions of a subnational or local entity are attributable to the state or country itself,” the statement reads.
“The Offices of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney-General of the Federation, have already set in motion both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the discharge of the inappropriate orders against the aircrafts, which are covered by sovereign immunity.
“While further actions are being put in place to resolve the entire dispute through available legal means, the firm position of the Federal Government remains that the aircrafts in question are sovereign assets used solely for sovereign purposes and are therefore immune from attachment as Zhongshan has sought to do.”
