The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to 223 importers to regularise their Temporary Admission Permits (TAPs).
The development was announced by the NCS Spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
The statement said that the grace period begins on Monday, July 28, and would serve as a final window for affected importers to take corrective action.
The NCS conducted compliance checks, which revealed that 223 companies had failed to adhere to the conditions of the TAP regime.
The defaults amounted to a total bond value of approximately ₦380 billion.
”The NCS has warned that failure to regularise their importation status within the specified timeframe will result in enforcement actions, including bond invocation, imposition of penalties, and legal proceedings,” the statement said.
The NCS urged the affected importers to take immediate steps to regularise their importation status.
According to NCS, they can do this by applying for a valid extension, re-exporting the items under customs supervision, or converting the goods to home use, subject to the payment of appropriate duties.
The NCS explained that temporary importation is a regulated concession under international and national customs frameworks, including the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and Sections 142 to 144 of the NCS Act, 2023.
It allows the temporary admission of goods into the country without full duty payment, provided such goods are re-exported within a specified period without alteration beyond normal depreciation.
The NCS warned that failure to comply with the TAP framework constitutes a breach, and the service is empowered to discharge the bond value as customs duty into the Federal Government’s account if the importer fails to meet the stated obligations.
The NCS, under the leadership of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, remains fully committed to enforcing regulatory compliance, protecting national revenue, and maintaining the integrity of the TAP framework.
The service urged stakeholders and the trading public to take advantage of this grace period to avoid actions that could result in sanctions.
