The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to 223 companies over violations of their Temporary Admission Permits (TAP), involving bond defaults amounting to N379.5 billion.
In a statement signed by Assistant Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General, the grace period will commence on Monday, July 28, 2025. The affected companies are required to regularise their importation status by applying for an extension, re-exporting the goods under Customs supervision, or paying the necessary duties to convert the goods for home use.
The TAP regime, guided by the Revised Kyoto Convention and the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, allows for duty-free importation of goods on the condition that they are either re-exported within the approved timeframe or converted for local use upon duty payment. The permits are initially valid for 12 months and can be extended by up to two years.
According to the NCS, compliance checks revealed that the defaulting companies neither re-exported the goods nor paid the appropriate duties. The Service emphasised that failure to resolve these issues within the 21-day window could result in enforcement actions, including the invocation of bank bonds, financial penalties, and legal proceedings under Section 143 of the NCS Act 2023.
The Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, urged all affected importers to take advantage of this final grace period, highlighting the Service’s commitment to enforcing customs regulations, protecting government revenue, and maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s temporary importation system.
Source: https://nairametrics.com/
