Nigeria, Sept. 20 -- A bitter corporate battle between Chinese business partners over the control of Crown Ceramics Nigeria Limited has escalated into a maze of court cases, petitions and regulatory interventions, exposing one of the most contentious shareholder disputes involving a foreign-owned manufacturing company in Nigeria.

Court documents and petitions obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show that the dispute, which has dragged through courts in Abeokuta, Lagos and Abuja, has also reached the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Office of the Vice President.

At the centre of the dispute are majority shareholders who collectively own 65 per cent of the comp...