The Nigeria Postal Service, NIPOST, has announced that six courier and logistics firms have been sealed off in Edo State for allegedly operating without registration and licences.
The General Manager of NIPOST’s Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department, Gideon Oludotun Shonde, disclosed this during a clampdown on illegal operators in the state.
Speaking to journalists, Shonde said: “We sealed off over six courier and logistics firms and also seized more than 10 courier and logistics delivery motorcycles.
“NIPOST is sanitising the postal market space by getting rid of those operating unprofessionally and engaging in unethical practices.
“There are many unlicensed and illegal courier, express delivery, dispatch, and logistics operators in the country. The industry has been proliferated and infiltrated by numerous unregistered operators engaged in various nefarious and unethical activities.
“These activities include pilfering, poaching, broaching, loss and dumping of customers’ items, operating without a traceable address or registered brand name, price undercutting, and subletting of operating licences, among others.”
He explained that the exercise was aimed at enforcing the provisions of the NIPOST Act, Section 43 (1, 2, and 3), which stipulates that anyone wishing to operate a delivery, courier, or logistics business must obtain an operating licence from the Postmaster General of the Federation.
The NIPOST General Manager emphasised that criminals in the industry must be eradicated to restore order.
He noted that it is almost impossible for a duly registered and licensed courier or delivery service to engage in drug trafficking, contraband dealings, pilfering, loss of items, or working at odd hours.
“It is also a crime against the state to operate in a regulated space without registration and a licence. We want Nigerians to be aware that professional values and ethics are required in the postal business,” he added.
Shonde revealed that the agency, in collaboration with the police, has been prosecuting offenders in court to serve as a deterrent to others operating illegally.
However, he stated that the overall objective of the exercise was to uphold ethical standards in the postal business, pointing out that some operators were transporting overweight and prohibited items, including cocaine, small arms, and ammunition.
