NIPOST Reveals: “Courier Operators Being Used To Deliver Weapons, Illicit Drugs”

By Ayodele Oni

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has raised the alarm over the trending activities of ‘courier operators’ being used to deliver dangerous weapons and illicit drugs in the country.

To confirm the trend, NIPOST revealed that “One of the unlicensed operators was recently arrested for conveying firearms and hard drugs.”

The service also expressed concerns over the proliferation and infiltration of illegal courier operators and logistics companies across the major cities of the nation.

Speaking at during a stakeholder’s engagement held on Friday in Akure, General Manager of NIPOST’s Courier and Logistics Regulations Department in Ondo, Oludotun Sounde, revealed that the agency sealed off two illegal courier companies in Ondo state and confiscated motorcycles used by three others in recent raids.

Sounde explained that the activities of the illegal courier companies are now posing a threat to national security and the economy.

Sounde observed that the unlicensed courier services and companies are not only lacking the structure for safe delivery but also operating without any form of accountability.

“They’re putting customers at risk of loss, theft, or abuse of their parcels. Using an illegal courier service is like going to a quack doctor. It could also cost you dearly.

Describing the development as a “national red flag” that should not be ignored, he said every parcel handed over to an unlicensed courier could be a potential threat to national peace.

To address the challenges, Sounde posited that every courier operator in the country must obtain operational licences from the Postmaster General to guide and streamline the operation of the logistics companies.

While reaffirming the NIPOST’s commitment to sanitising the logistics sector, he noted that the agency is prepared to support registered businesses with training and professional guidance.