Due to unpaid import duties totaling several billions of naira, the Federal Government will ground more than 60 private jets owned by prominent figures in the nation on Monday (today) through the Nigerian Customs Service.

The enforcement exercise would start on October 14, 2024, according to documents that were shared between the NCS and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

According to sources, most private jets in the nation do not have their duties paid, and the NCS is attempting to recoup unpaid import charges totaling billions of naira.

According to reports, the NCS conducted a one-month verification exercise on all private jet owners in the nation between June and July as a result of the development.

Nearly three months have passed since the NCS verification exercise when the private jets were last grounded.

According to documents , some powerful businessmen’s private jets, notably those of chairmen and top executives of certain banks, would no longer be allowed to fly.

The NCS has already formally informed the leading private jet owners who will be impacted by the ruling.

The majority of the impacted aircraft, according to the records, are private jets registered abroad that belong to Nigerians.

The 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 are a few of the high-end aircraft on the list. The anticipated cost of each Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500 is over $70 million, while the Global 6500 and 6000 models cost more than $50 million.

It waas gathered that at least 55 other operators would receive their letters on Monday (today), even though 11 private jet owners have already been notified that their aircraft has been grounded.

Prior to Monday’s grounding exercise, some of the leading private aircraft operators reportedly pushed the Presidency, but our correspondent discovered that the Presidency declined to get involved.

It was discovered that certain operators had started the import duty settlement process as a result of the development. According to officials, some owners of private jets promised to pay the levy this week.

According to reports, operators of a major Nigerian bank’s Gulfstream G650ER plane registered in the US have already paid N5.3 billion in import duties to evade the clampdown.

When a similar exercise was conducted in 2019, the Customs had retrieved some duties into the government coffers.

However, according to the letters seen on Sunday, planes owned by well-known people and businesses were prohibited from operating until the unpaid obligations were resolved.

It is anticipated that the government will make a sizable profit from this enforcement operation.

Nevertheless, it has been claimed that three of these planes, which are scheduled to be grounded today, have been flown abroad. But as soon as they go back to the nation, the planes will be grounded.

The officer went on to say that all impacted importers and owners have received demand papers from the NCS directing them to settle unpaid customs on their private aircraft.

Some aircraft owners have made formal commitments to pay the NCS when they return to Nigeria, while others have started talks to settle the unpaid balances.

The NCS is predicted to make more over N260 billion from this enforcement action.

The results revealed that the NCS had sent letters to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority asking that the identified aircraft not be allowed to fly until the duties were paid or until the NCS issued additional directives.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency accepted a letter from the NCS about the recovery of import charges on privately owned aircraft that were illegally imported, according to correspondence our correspondent saw.

Beginning on October 14, 2024, the agency instructed Air Traffic Control units to ground any aircraft that did not comply until they were cleared by the Nigeria Customs Service and sent out a Notice to Airmen.

In order to avoid problems and guarantee efficient cooperation, NAMA also asked that cleared aircraft details be sent as soon as possible. The agency stated that it is fully committed to working with others to improve aviation operations’ transparency and assist the country’s economic growth.

Adewale Adeniyi, the NCS Comptroller General, claimed in July that some private aircraft were departing the nation in order to avoid the verification process.

“Very few of them (private jet operators) have showed up for verification and we gather intelligence that a good number of them are leaving Nigeria since the announcement was given because they would not want to be verified,” he said.

According to the CGC, the service started the private aircraft verification exercise because more private jets were flying illegally.

“We have seen so many of these aircraft flying and our record tends to show that only a few of them have shown up to pay duty and this is why we are bringing this verification up,” he said.

“We discovered that there are more private jets that are operating in Nigeria but have not been brought under the ambit of the law. So the data that we got from the NCAA shows that only very few of them paid customs duty to operate in Nigeria,” he stated.

The head of customs claims that private aircraft operating within the nation are required to pay duty in accordance with international aviation standards.

“If they are here for a brief period in the Nigerian airspace and return, they are not obliged to pay any duty; that is if they are here on a temporary importation visit. But once they are here and are used within Nigeria, they are liable to pay duty,”

Over the previous three years, the government had intended to collect billions of naira in import duties from private aircraft operators who had avoided paying import duties by taking advantage of certain technical flaws.

After the Hameed Ali-led NCS took several important actions to recover the money, a small number of private aircraft owners paid the required import duty. Nonetheless, a number of private jet owners and operators in the nation have not yet paid the required amount.

In order to fraudulently get a Temporary Import Permit from the Nigeria Customs Service rather than paying the statutory import duty on their imported aircraft, numerous private aircraft operators in the nation are accused of taking advantage of technical gaps in the rule.

According to the regulations, the TIP can be renewed twice by six months after its initial 12-month validity.

However, a few of private aircraft operators in the nation have persisted in extending the TIP indefinitely, which is what led Customs to implement previous crackdowns.

Some parties have characterized the TIP as a dishonest way to avoid paying the required import charge. Private jet importers, particularly those with foreign registrations, are required to pay import duties equal to 5% of the private jet’s value.

But according to Customs officers, some owners frequently choose not to pay the import because private planes are so expensive.

Citing Article 24 of the International Civil Aviation Organization Convention, which addresses customs waiver for commercial aircraft operating in a country temporarily, the operators instead choose to get a TIP under the pretense that the aircraft is entering the country briefly.

However, it looks like the new Customs leadership is ready to force all operators to pay the import charge.