NIPOST Raids 32 Unlicensed Courier Operators in Lagos

Emma Okonji

The combined enforcement team of the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department (CLRD) of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), and the police from the Force Criminal Investigation Department Alagbon (FCID), has commenced its fourth quarter enforcement operation nationwide, beginning from Lagos State.

The team, at the weekend clamped down on over 32 unlicensed courier operators in Lagos and made some arrests.

During the raid, which lasted for hours, some unregistered and unlicensed operators of courier and logistics services were arrested and handed over to the FCID for prosecution proceedings, which commenced the same day of the Lagos clampdown. 

Some items used for illegal courier operations such as motorbikes, waybills, inventory books, among others were seized and those arrested were charged for offences, which borders on economic sabotage, unethical sharp practices, illegal operations and conspiracy. 

Addressing the media shortly after the clampdown, the General Manager, CLRD, Mr. Gideon Dotun Shonde, said the clampdown was in line with Enforcement Operation of the NIPOST ACT, CAP N127 Laws of the federation, with the support from the Postmaster General of the Federation, Ms Tola Odeyemi, who gave the directive for the clampdown, in order to sanitise the Courier and Logistics sector of the Nigerian economy, which according to him, is losing billions of naira to illegal operators across the country.  

“The objective of the on-going nationwide enforcement exercise is to sanitise the postal sector, which has been infiltrated by quacks and unethical practices by unregistered, unlicensed and illegal operators nationwide. The unlicensed operators are involved in unethical sharp practices, such as price undercutting, pilfering, broaching, damage, and dumping of items, including obtaining money from customers under false pretenses, and they do not have traceable office addresses, with no registered brand names.

“Similarly, there are established cases of overloading and carriages of items above the stipulated 50KG, which has increased public disdain towards the noble profession, threatened the safety of other road users and poses a security threat on Nigerians, and these are quite worrisome, ”Shonde said.

had earmarked a N500 billion Bond issuance to develop the state, out of which N100 billion and N137 billion was issued in 2020 and 2021.

The State Government in October listed its Lagos State Infrastructure Sukuk SPV Plc, a special purpose vehicle of the LASG, worth about N19.82 billion 14.675 per cent Series II Fixed Return Forward Ijarah Sukuk on the NGX.

The net proceeds of the Sukuk issuance would be used to finance the construction and rehabilitation of the Awoyaya section of the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The Sukuk was rated ‘Aa’ and ‘Aa-‘ by  Agusto & Co. and Global Credit Rating (GCR), with the ratings alluding to the state’s resilient financial condition, robust financial flexibility, suitable expenditure profile and very strong cash-generating capacity to meet local currency obligations in timely from Internally Generated Revenues (IGR).