Section 15: Customs airports

(1)
In this Act, the expression "customs airport" means an aerodrome in Nigeria for the time being designated by order made by the Minister to be a place of landing or departure of aircraft for the purposes of the enactments relating to customs.
(2)
Except as permitted in writing by the Board, the commander of an aircraft entering Nigeria from a place outside Nigeria shall not cause or permit it to land for the first time after its arrival therein at any other place than a customs airport, and any person importing any goods in any aircraft shall not bring the goods into Nigeria at any place other than a customs airport.
(3)
Except as permitted in writing by the Board, a person shall not depart on a flight to a place outside Nigeria from any place inside Nigeria other than a customs airport, and the commander of an aircraft engaged in a flight from Nigeria to a place outside Nigeria shall not cause or permit it to land at any place in Nigeria other than a customs airport specified in the application for clearance for that flight.
(4)
Subsections (2) and (3) of this Act shall not apply in relation to any aircraft flying to or from any place outside Nigeria which is required under or by virtue of any enactment relating to air navigation, or is compelled by accident, stress of weather or other unavoidable cause, to land at a place in Nigeria other than a customs airport, but the commander of any such aircraft -
(a)
shall immediately report the landing to an officer or police officer, and on demand produce to him the journey log book or document in lieu thereof belonging to the aircraft;
(b)
shall not, without the consent of an officer or police officer, permit any goods to be unloaded from, or any of the crew or passengers to depart from the vicinity of, the aircraft; and
(c)
shall comply with any directions given by an officer or police officer with respect to any such goods,
and no passenger or member of the crew of the aircraft shall, without the consent of an officer or a police officer, leave the immediate vicinity of the aircraft:
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the departure of crew or passengers from the vicinity of, or the removal of goods from, an aircraft where that departure or removal is necessary for reasons of health, safety or the preservation of life or property.
(5)
Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this section shall be liable to a fine of four hundred naira, or to imprisonment for six months, or to both.
(6)
The provisions of this Act relating to aircraft shall apply in relation to any aircraft belonging to or employed in the service of the Government of the Federation other than a military aircraft commanded or piloted by a person who is serving as a member of armed forces of Nigeria.
In this subsection, the expression "military aircraft" has the meaning assigned by regulation 84 of the Civil Aviation (Air Navigation) Regulations.