In an affidavit filed this week, the Nigerian federal government is claiming it owns all of Sun Publishing Limited, which publishes the daily Sun newspaper.

The government filed the affidavit in response to the publishing firm's preliminary objection seeking a court order to stop the freeze on three bank accounts used to operate the company.

Sun Publishing, which was incorporated in 2001, was frozen by the government when Orji Kalu, the former governor of the Abia state who owns assets in the company, was arrested on corruption charges, according to an article posted on AllAfrica.com. Last month, Justice Anwuri Chikere ordered Kalu to forfeit all his assets and bank accounts to the government, pending determination of the suit.

The federal government has told the court the newspaper will collapse if the accounts are not unfrozen, and that they will manage and run the Sun's affairs until the court makes its final decision, according to the article.