Duty evasion: Customs give one month grace to owners of illegally imported private jets

Maureen Aguta

Against the backdrop of reported response of some of the owners of the already verified illegally imported private jets to payment of verified duties on their aircraft, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have told operators of the privately-owned aircraft that the verification exercise for the recovery of their unpaid import duties has been extended by one month, from Monday, 14th October 2024, to Thursday, 14th November 2024.

The Service in a statement by the National Public Relations Officer (NPRO) Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed that this extension is to further engage operators who have expressed willingness to regularize their import duties, providing them with an additional window to comply with the necessary regulations.

He noted that the NCS is committed to ensuring that all illegally imported aircraft meet the legal requirements, thereby promoting transparency and accountability in the aviation sector.

“In light of this extension, the NCS encourages aircraft operators to take full advantage of the extended period to fulfill their obligations, avoiding sanctions that may arise from non-compliance after the deadline,” Maiwada said.

This is as the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, reiterates the Service’s dedication to enforcing the laws governing import duties and maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s aviation sector. He further appreciates the cooperation and understanding of stakeholders in this ongoing exercise.

Recall that it was reported that the Nigerian Customs Service was billed to ground over 60 private jets owned by very important persons in the country over unpaid import duty running into several billions of naira on Monday.

This is because reports indicate that duties were not being paid on the majority of private jets currently in the country even as the NCS has resolved to recover the unpaid import duties running into several billions of Naira.

The development reportedly led the NCS to carry out a one-month verification exercise on all private jet owners in the country between June and July.

However, as some of the owners of the luxury private jets have started responding, Advocacy Times learnt that the development had made the Customs Service to further give one month grace period to the owners who of course are the high and mighty in the society and heads of blue-chip companies in the country including banks

Some of the luxury aircraft on the list are: Bombardier Challenger 604 CL-600-2B16, Bombardier Challenger 3500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6500, and Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500. Each of the Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500 are estimated to cost over$70 million, while the Global 6500 and 6000 version cost over $50 million.