NIPOST shuts down five courier, logistics firms for illegal operation in Benin

No fewer than five courier and logistics operational offices have been sealed off by the Nigeria Postal Services in Edo State.

DAILY POST reports that the offices were shut down over alleged illegal operations and lack of license while seven delivery motorcycles belonging to the operators were also seized.

Gideon Oludotun Shonde, the NIPOST General Manager in charge of the courier and logistics department disclosed this to newsmen shortly after the clamp down on the firms in Benin City.

Shonde said the exercise was to get rid of quacks, illegal, unethical and unlicensed courier and logistic operators in the state.

He explained that the clampdown followed approval by the Postmaster-General of the Federation/CEO, Tola Odeyemi.

He said the approval was against unlicensed, unregistered, illegal Courier, Express, Delivery, Dispatch and Logistics Operators nationwide as stipulated in the statutory provisions of section 43 (1,2 and 3) NIPOST ACT, CAP 127, LFN 2004 and Regulatory Operational Guidelines 2024.

According to him, the enforcement was to ensure a level playing field and a conducive environment for genuine operators. Five illegal courier offices were sealed while seven delivery motorcycles were seized during the enforcement.

“The postal, express, courier, and logistics industry have been proliferated and infiltrated with so many unlicensed/illegal courier and logistics operators with reckless abandonment for ethical standard and professional conduct.

“There abound the issue of public safety and security threats due to the carriage of illicit drugs and prohibited items like small arms and ammunition, guns, gold, monies, obscene items among others.

“There exist unethical sharp practices, such as price undercutting, pilfering, broaching, damages, loss and dumping of customers items, poaching and subletting of operating licenses with a mountain of public complaints about Customers being duped or obtaining money from them under false pretences, no traceable office address nor registered brand name.

“So, the enforcement is necessary to sanitize the sectors of bad eggs, as some of the couriers and logistic operators are into illegal activities such as drugs and arms delivery among other infractions.

“Anyone who violates this provision should be arrested and prosecuted for operating illegally. It is a crime against the state”, he said.

He opined that the illegal operators violate the NIPOST Act which says that before you operate a courier service, you must get a license from the Postmaster-General of the Federation.

Shonde, however, advised the people who are interested in the courier business to follow due process by getting an operating license from NIPOST.