Over the weekend, the Nigeria Postal Service took action against several courier and logistics firms in Edo State, shutting down five of them for allegedly operating without proper registration and licenses.

Additionally, the agency confiscated eight courier and logistic delivery motorcycles during the operation.

Mr. Shonde Gideon, the NIPOST General Manager for Courier, Logistic, and Regulatory Department, explained that the crackdown aimed to clean up the postal market by eliminating unprofessional and unethical practices among operators.

He highlighted that the industry had become saturated with unlicensed and illegal courier, express, delivery, dispatch, and logistic operators involved in various unlawful activities, such as price undercutting, pilfering, and dumping of customers’ items.

He stated, “There are lots of unlicensed and illegal courier, express, delivery, dispatch, and logistic operators operating in the country. The industry has been proliferated and infiltrated with many unlicensed and illegal operators who engaged in all kinds of nefarious and unethical activities,”

Gideon also emphasized that operating in a regulated space without proper registration and licensing was against the law and a crime against the state.

The enforcement was in accordance with the statutory provision of Section 43(1, 2, and 3) of the NIPOST ACT, Cap127, LFN 2004, and Regulatory Operational Guid 2023.

He noted that the primary goal of the operation was to instill ethical values in the postal business.

Some operators were found carrying overweighted items and prohibited goods like cocaine, small arms, and ammunition.

Furthermore, unlicensed operators were evading taxes and operating in obscurity, leading to economic losses.

Gideon stressed that the operation aimed to create a fair and law-abiding environment for all players in the sector and ensure compliance with national laws.

He urged courier operators in the state to abide by the law, obtain operating licenses from NIPOST, and warned of legal consequences for non-compliance.

The enforcement operation was carried out by the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department Enforcement team in collaboration with the Force Criminal Investigation Department (Alagbon) Lagos and the Edo State Police Command.