The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has confirmed that owners of private jets recently grounded for defaulting on import duty payments have begun steps to regularize their obligations.
According to reports that emerged on Tuesday night, no fewer than 60 private jets operating within Nigeria have been grounded due to their owners’ alleged failure to pay the required import duties. The enforcement action began at key airports across the country, including Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja, and continued over the course of Monday and Tuesday.
This crackdown comes several months after the NCS initially warned it would take action against over 60 private jet owners—many of them prominent figures in Nigeria—for defaulting on duty payments. Although the planned grounding did not occur at that time, the Customs Service had extended the deadline for a verification exercise from October 14 to November 14, 2024. That extension also failed to prompt compliance from many jet owners.
Speaking with Vanguard, NCS Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi, emphasized that the grounding decision followed due process. “It was not done arbitrarily without proper consultation. We gave them an ultimatum. Those whose private jets have been grounded know what to do,” he said. “They have started coming forward to regularize their duty payments.”
The Customs Service maintains that the action is part of a broader effort to ensure compliance with Nigeria’s import regulations, particularly among high-net-worth individuals.
