The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), has approved a grace period of one month for owners of all vehicles in the country whose customs duties have not been paid, to do so.
The grace period is between Monday, March 13 and Wednesday, April 12, 2017, the NCS said in a statement.
The service advised all motor dealers and private owners of such vehicles to visit the nearest Customs zonal office to pay the appropriate duty on them.
The statement signed by the acting Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, said the four zonal offices of the Nigeria Customs Service are: Zone A Headquarters, No. 1 Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos; Zone B Headquarters, Kabala Doki, Kaduna; Zone C Headquarters, Nigeria Ports Authority, Port Harcourt; and Zone D Headquarters, Yelwa Tudu Road, Bauchi State.
“The CGC therefore calls on all persons in possession of such vehicles to take advantage of the grace period to pay appropriate duties on them, as there will be an aggressive anti-smuggling operation to seize, as well as prosecute owners of such smuggled vehicles after the deadline of Wednesday 12th April, 2017.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all private car owners who are not sure of the authenticity of their vehicles’ customs documents can also approach the zonal offices to verify their status with a view to complying with the provision of the law,” the statement concluded.