Court processes have delayed the grounding of approximately 60 private jets operating in Nigeria without the payment of import duties, which are said to amount to billions of naira.
On October 14, 2024, it was reported that the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), had planned to ground over 60 private jets owned by high-profile individuals due to unpaid duties, with the action set to take effect from that date.
However, this move did not occur as planned. Later that same day, the NCS announced an extension of the verification exercise for private jet owners by one month, pushing the deadline from October 14 to November 14, 2024.
Since the expiration of the deadline, there have been no further updates on the situation. Investigations into the matter are still ongoing, with the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, explaining that providing any updates would interfere with ongoing court processes.
When contacted for clarification Maiwada stated, “There are issues related to court processes, and any disclosure at this point could interfere with those proceedings. As such, we cannot provide updates at this time. We do not want to disrupt the investigations or the outcome of the process.”
Further questioned about whether private jet owners had obtained court orders to prevent the grounding of their aircraft, Maiwada reiterated his previous statement.
In the NCS’s November statement, he had explained that the extension was granted to allow further engagement with operators who had expressed a willingness to regularize their import duties.
