The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has sealed off six courier and logistics firms in Edo State for allegedly operating without registration and proper licences.
Gideon Oludotun Shonde, the General Manager of NIPOST’s Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department, disclosed this during a clampdown on illegal operators in the state.
Speaking to journalists, Shonde confirmed the enforcement action, stating, “We sealed off over six courier and logistics firms and also seized more than 10 courier and logistics delivery motorcycles.”
He explained that the operation was part of efforts to clean up the postal market by eliminating unprofessional and unethical practices.
“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.”
Shonde emphasized that the clampdown was in accordance with the provisions of the NIPOST Act, Section 43 (1, 2, and 3), which mandates that any individual or business seeking to operate a delivery, courier, or logistics service must obtain a licence from the Postmaster General of the Federation.
He stressed the need to eliminate criminal elements within the industry to restore professionalism and order.
“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 also revealed that NIPOST, in collaboration with the police, has been prosecuting offenders in court as a deterrent to others engaging in illegal operations.
However, he clarified that the primary goal of the enforcement exercise is to uphold ethical standards in the postal business, noting that some operators were found transporting overweight and prohibited items, including cocaine, small arms, and ammunition.
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