VIPs lobby Presidency as FG grounds 60 private jets
The Federal Government, acting through the Nigeria Customs Service, has grounded around 60 private jets at major Nigerian airports in order to recover import duties from some of the country’s private jet owners,
According to reports, private jet hangars at the airports in Lagos and Abuja were also closed. However, the owners of the planes, notably executives from global oil corporations and banks, have started to press the presidency to get their jets released.
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Luxury aircraft such as the Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, BD-700 Global 6500, and BD-700 Global 7500 are among those that have been grounded. This was confirmed by NCS officials in an interview on Wednesday.
According to sources, most private jets in the nation do not have their duties paid, and the Nigeria Customs Service is attempting to collect unpaid import charges totaling billions of naira.
Private jet owners were invited to participate in a government vetting process by Customs. The purpose of the exercise was to identify import duty defaulters.
Recall that in October, 2024 the Nigeria Customs Service, on behalf of the Federal Government, announced its plan to ground more than 60 private jets belonging to prominent figures in the nation due to unpaid import duties starting that day.
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However, according to the PUNCH, there are rumours that the Customs service was making moves to unseal the grounded aircraft while inviting the jet owners to a meeting in Abuja to discuss how the issue would be permanently resolved.
