Nigeria Customs Service has requested the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) to prohibit 91 private jet owners from using the country’s airspace from October 25, if they fail to pay statutory Customs duties.
Customs had on May 31 announced its plan to verify import documents of privately-owned airplanes in the country.
Announcing the report on the exercise in Abuja yesterday, Customs spokesman, Joseph Attah, explained that within the stipulated period, 86 private jet owners or airplane operators showed up while 62 did not.
Out of the 86 that appeared, 57 were private-commercial operators that presented their documents and were accordingly cleared. The remaining 29 private jets/airplane owners and or their representatives were on October 11 directed to make payments to designated Federal Government accounts within 14 days
Attah told reporters that the 29 owners risked impoundment of their jets if they failed to meet the deadline..
His words: “29 private jets/aircraft were found liable for non-payment of Customs duty. Their values were assessed, and the appropriate demand notices were issued to their owners for the payment of outstanding duties.
“However, 62 other private jet/aircraft whose registration numbers were duly obtained from the appropriate authority were not verified because their owners or designated representatives made no presentations to Customs that could help determine their status.
“The owners of the 62 private aircraft … are requested to immediately furnish the Tariff and Trade Department of the service with the necessary documents for verification and clearance.”
