Nigeria Customs Service grounds 60 private jets over unpaid import duties, sparking a major row with wealthy owners and prompting lobbying efforts. Find out more about the Nigeria Private Jet Grounding

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Federal Government, through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has initiated a significant Nigeria Private Jet Grounding, seizing approximately 60 private jets across major airports in the country.

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This drastic measure aims to recover unpaid import duties, reportedly amounting to several billions of naira. Private jet hangars in Lagos and Abuja airports have been sealed, prompting owners, including prominent bank chiefs and multinational oil companies, to lobby the Presidency for the release of their aircraft.

Among the grounded luxury aircraft are models such as the Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, BD-700 Global 6500, and BD-700 Global 7500. Officials from both the NCS and the aviation sector confirmed the development on Wednesday.

Reports indicate that a significant number of private jets currently operating in Nigeria have not had their import duties paid. The NCS had previously requested private jet owners to undergo a verification exercise to identify defaulters.

It will be recalled that on October 14, 2024, it was reported that the Federal Government intended to ground over 60 private jets for unpaid import duties.

However, on the same day, the NCS extended the verification exercise deadline by one month, until November 14, 2024.

Despite the expiration of this deadline, no further announcement was made, with the NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, later citing various court cases as the reason for the delay in enforcement.

However, sources confirmed on Wednesday that the NCS quietly began the grounding exercise on Monday, without issuing any fresh notice to those affected.

NCS officials sealed aircraft at both the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. This decisive action comes nearly seven months after initial warnings from Customs regarding defaulters.

When contacted on Wednesday, Mr. Maiwada confirmed the development, asserting that the service would not relent until all revenues due to the government are collected from the airlines.

“Yes, enforcement has started. The aircraft are grounded for the non-payment of customs duty, and as soon as they come over to regularise their payment and give what is due to Nigerians, they will get it back,” he stated.

“We issued a statement when we started the verification, and we extended the period and even ‘over extended the period’, now that we are acting, everyone already knows our reason. We just have to enforce, we have to collect revenue for Nigerians so that it will be used for Nigerians.”

Maiwada highlighted the extended period of appeals made to defaulters to validate their jets or pay the duties, noting that these appeals largely went unheeded.

“Now that we have grounded them, they will have to comply. We are hopeful and we know that they will comply,” he added.

Meanwhile, impeccable Customs sources informed our correspondent that some aircraft owners have already initiated contact with the Presidency to secure the release of their jets.

One prominent Nigerian bank has reportedly pledged to pay next Tuesday, while another is negotiating with Customs through a proxy. An energy company with three jets has also promised to settle its outstanding duties in the coming week.

However, there are rumours circulating that the Customs Service is contemplating unsealing the grounded aircraft and inviting jet owners to a meeting in Abuja to resolve the issue permanently.

A document dated June 4, 2025, reportedly signed by Deputy-Comptroller General C.K. Niagwan on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, indicated that the “temporary unsealing” of the aircraft had received approval.

According to the document, this temporary measure is intended to allow operators to present all relevant documents and engage with the service to discuss and agree on modalities for settling outstanding duties and taxes.

The circular emphasised that this unsealing was solely to facilitate compliance and did not constitute a waiver of any statutory obligations. It was learned that this temporary unsealing applies to only a few of the grounded jets.

Experts have weighed in on the situation. Frank Oruye, a former deputy director of engineering at the defunct national carrier, Nigerian Airways, urged both private jet operators and the Nigeria Customs Service to adhere to global best practices.

He appealed to customers to pay their dues and called on Customs to conduct its operations professionally.

“For a conducive aviation sector to be created, it’s essential for stakeholders to fully understand what it takes. Everything should not end in ‘gra-gra and rofo-rofo’. Investors and importers should be ready to foot all local taxes and customs duties,” he stated.

Recalling past disagreements between the defunct Nigeria Airways and Customs, Oruye emphasised, “NCS should endeavour to follow global best practices in fixing duties.”

He cited issues with “Rotables” – high-cost aircraft components that require overseas maintenance – where Customs would demand duties on the original cost even after repairs, ignoring prior duty payments. “Advanced nations don’t burden their airlines with such debilitating levies,” he added.

Retired Group Captain John Ojikutu stated that many of the grounded aircraft are foreign-based, which he described as a security threat to the country. Ojikutu criticised both Customs and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for allowing an “unclear number of aircraft” to operate in Nigeria.

Recalling his own experience grounding aircraft belonging to the late Kashimawo Abiola for regulatory infractions, he urged the NCAA to fulfil its responsibilities.

“All these things happening now didn’t happen before. In the first place, why are foreign-registered aircraft flying in the country? Who permitted them? When I was at the airport, I seized Abiola’s aircraft twice! Why are people behaving this way nowadays? In Demuren’s days, such wouldn’t have happened.

I had the authority to monitor foreign airlines. They can’t fly without security clearance, and aside from the customs airport, which is the point of entry, they can’t fly to more than one airport.

“All these things happening are risky, not even now that we don’t know the people in charge of the insurgency. To now fly foreign aircraft without clearance is a threat to national security.

Also read: We’ll seize private jets belonging to loan defaulters – CBN

Both customs and the NCAA should be blamed for allowing them to fly such aircraft in the country. Let the NCAA check its regulations. There should be a regulation for such an act.”