As a last resort to recover billions of naira in unpaid import duties, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), is set to ground over 60 private jets owned by high-profile individuals and companies across the country.
The NCS has written to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to deny flight clearances until duties are paid.
The enforcement exercise, commencing today, follows a thorough verification process conducted between June and July this year.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the NCS has identified private jets that have evaded paying import duties, exploiting loopholes in the regulation.
The one-month verification exercise aimed to identify improperly imported private aircraft without documentation and ensure maximum revenue collection. The exercise revealed that most private jets in the country have not paid import duties.
Documents reveal that private jets belonging to prominent business moguls, bank chairmen, and executives are among those to be grounded. The majority of affected planes are foreign-registered private jets owned by Nigerians.
Some of the luxury aircraft on the list include Bombardier Challenger 604 CL-600-2B16, Bombardier Challenger 3500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500.
Each of the Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500 jets costs over $70 million, while the Global 6500 and 6000 versions cost over $50 million.
Eleven private jet owners have received notification of the grounding, while 55 others will receive their letters today.
Meanwhile, it is understood that some operators have lobbied the Presidency, although they have refused to interfere. This has led some operators to begin settling the import duty.
The enforcement exercise is expected to generate a good amount of revenue for the government, with estimates suggesting over N260 billion.