Following the suspicion of arms movement by unlicensed courier and logistics operators, the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, yesterday, impounded 28 unlicensed and unregistered illegal courier logistics operators in Lagos.
The operation which was led by the head of the enforcement team, Mr. Banks Worimegbe, and the Assistant General Manager, Ethics, Complaint and Strategy, CLRD, NIPOST, took place in Maryland and on Victoria Island.
Speaking to Vanguard before the commencement of the raid, the General Manager of, the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department of NIPOST, Mr. Dotun Sonde, expressed worries over all kinds of unethical practices by some of the operators, especially the unlicensed ones.
Sonde, who stated that operating without a license is a crime against the state, said: “We have a bunch of unlicensed and unregistered illegal courier logistics operators who are operating with impunity without recourse to the dictate of the law.
“Nigeria is not a lawless country, there’s a law in place that should be respected and the law is actually to create a peaceful environment for humanity, for business to thrive.
“We have cases of loss of items, undelivered items; they cannot even trace the person because they don’t know that the person doesn’t have a license.
“Sometimes, some carry arms and ammunition; some illicit drugs because they are not licensed, they won’t keep to the ethics of the business, some even carry currency.
“These are faceless operators, you cannot trace them because they are not registered, so they go out there to do evil, take advantage of the gullible, ignorant fellow Nigerians who feel that they are in safe hands.” Sit in the comfort of their homes and carry out e-commerce, recounting an incident where a client’s items were damaged as a result of the operator’s unprofessional conduct.
He said the government would not fold its arms, adding that the agency had prosecuted over 100 defaulters.
He said: “We have prosecuted over 100. We have also done that in other states. We just came back from Benin and Rivers for the clampdown. We have also been to States like Ogun, Oyo, and Abuja. We are also looking at going to places like Enugu and Nasarawa before the year runs out.”
Culled from Vanguard Newspaper
