Chinese workers at the Crown Ceramics Nigeria Limited
A Chinese Company, CROWN CERAMICS NIGERIA LIMITED, has accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Police using Police to intimidate and harass the directors and shareholders of the company in favour of two others.
In a letter jointly signed by Messrs Zhang Kefeng, Zhang Linshuang, Liu Zhengyu and Liao Yuzhen and address to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and obtained by SaharaReporters narrated how two Directors in the company namely Chen Dongfeng and Kong Jun have made deliberate, wicked and unlawful attempts to hijack the company from the majority shareholders and gain absolute control of the company.
The company located along Igbesa Road, Ogun State recalled the incident of June 11th and 12th of 2025, when Chen Dongfeng invaded the production factory premises with over twenty-five fully armed policemen who violently gained access into the premises and took control of the factory and held the officers and workers hostage for over seven hours.
The company noted that at the end of the unlawful exercise, the duo of Chen Dongfeng and Kong Jun allegedly looted the company in the full glare of over twenty-five fully armed policemen.
The letter read In part, “The Workers and officers of the company were held hostage for several hours as the officers restricted access to the company.
The presence of heavily armed policemen caused panic and apprehension in the environment, with a lot of scampering for their dear lives.
“Workers and officers of the company were held hostage for several hours as the officers restricted access to the company. As a result of the above, the company is presently unable to pay staff salaries, the royalties, and charges due to the Government.
“We, as the directors of the company, reported the matter to the relevant security agency to forestall a possible breakdown of law and order and for the law enforcement agency to take proactive steps to address the issue. With the utmost cooperation of the directors, the law enforcement agency launched an investigation into the matter.
At the moment, the policemen stationed at the entrance of the company have refused us access to the factory. Our factory is now under siege as we have been denied entry into our factory. Several attempts to persuade the policemen that we, as the lawful owners of the factory, should be allowed access were rebuffed.
“On the 5th day of August 2025, all the directors in the company decided to visit the factory to inspect and take stock of our products. To our utmost surprise, the policemen stationed at the gate bluntly refused to give us access despite duly identifying ourselves as the owners of the factory.
“When we queried the policemen, they emphatically informed us that they were instructed by the IG, Kayode Egbetokun, through the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, to refuse us access to our factory. Amid the confusion, the Divisional Police Officer, Igbese Police Station, CSP Kazeem, unlawfully seized the phone of one of us and refused to release the same to us. We have videos and pictorial evidence to prove our assertions.
“At this juncture, it appears that the IG is doing the bidding of Chen Dongfeng and Kong Jun. It is perhaps apt to state for the record that we are investors in this country. We have invested heavily in building the factory and the company as a whole. We brought into Nigeria direct foreign investment to drive the economy of this great nation.
“In keeping with the agenda of the present government, which is the renewed hope agenda, we are employers of labour and pushing for the growth of the country. We play a critical role in the manufacturing sector of the economy. For a country dearly seeking foreign investment, we do not deserve to be treated like strangers in our factory.
“Importantly, we are not aware of any court order or injunction restraining us from gaining access to our factory. Hence, IGP Kayode Egbetokun cannot constitute himself into an authority to do as he pleases. Nigeria Is not a lawless state at the whims and caprices of one man. There is no valid court order stopping us from gaining access to our factory, so we are wondering on whose authority that the IG is acting and/or implementing to seal our factory?
“The action of the IG is capable of sending a wrong signal to the general public to take laws into their own hands. We opine that the IG who is the number one law enforcer in the country ought not to be the one breaking the law.
The company lamented the huge financial loss it has incurred and the implication of sealing the production factory can only be best imagined. At the moment, we have lost several days due to the sealing of our factory for no just cause.
The company expressed concerns and disappointment at the Police attitude for allowing the duo of Chen Dongfeng and Kong Jun to be walking freely without being prosecuted for their illegal and nefarious conducts despite repeated complaints to the law enforcement agency.
“It is therefore pertinent to bring the action of the IG to your attention and to call him to order. It must be expressly stated that the IG lacks the power to arbitrarily and unilaterally seal our factory, which is private property. Only a court of competent jurisdiction has such powers, and the IG is not a court of law.
“We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to immediately intervene in this matter and call the IG to order. We also urge Your Excellency to immediately order the IG to remove the policemen at the entrance of our factory and unseal our factory.
“Your Excellency, we are passionate about our investment and we do not want to lose same as a result of the conduct and action of the IG. We therefore humbly appeal for your urgent and prompt intervention to save our company by calling on the IG not to meddle or interfere in our private affairs”. The letter read. (Daily Independent)
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