Customs threatens to impound 29 private jets over failure to pay import duties

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has threatened to impound 29 private jets on which the owners did not pay statutory import duties to the federal government. 

Joseph Attah, NCS public relations officer (PRO, disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

Customs had commenced verification for private aircraft owners in June due to rising insecurity in Nigeria.

According to Attah, the 29 private jets would be impounded if the owners did not show up at the expiration of the 14 days ultimatum given.

Attah explained that within the stipulated period of verification, 86 private jets or airplane operators showed up for the exercise and presented relevant documents for verification and that 57 of them were verified as commercial charter operators and were duly cleared for operations.

He said the 29 private jets/airplanes owners and or their representatives were issued with demand notices on Oct. 11 and were given 14 days to make payments to designated Federal Government accounts and they would be issued Aircraft Clearance Certificates after payment.

“Owners of private aircraft for which no presentations were made for verification, and whose status remains uncertain are requested to immediately furnish Customs Service with documents for verification,” Attah said 

“To this effect, all 57 commercial charter jets or aircraft operators who presented their documents for verification are requested to come to the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters, Abuja, to collect their clearance certificates.

“All 29 private jets/aircraft owners and or their representatives who have been issued with demand notices have 14 days from Oct. 11 to collect and make payments to the designated Federal Government accounts. They will be issued with Aircraft Clearance Certificates after payment.”

Attah also said that the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had been put on notice to ensure that only privately-owned airplanes cleared by Customs were allowed to operate within the country’s airspace.