Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), through its Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department, has resumed its clampdown exercise on illegal courier operators in Lagos, while assuring industry stakeholders of sanitising the business in the state.

Speaking at one-day clampdown operations against illegal courier and logistics operators in Osun State, Mr Dotun Sonde, the General Manager of the Courier and Logistics Department, NIPOST, announced that the activities of the illegal operators have been endangering the lives of the residents.

According to him, findings revealed that some illegal operators were being used for illicit drugs and arms movement, putting the lives and properties of residents at risk.

Sonde explained, “Many people just need to know that most of the unlicensed, unregistered, illegal operators engage in unethical practices.

“For instance, some of these illegal operators carry small arms and ammunition, some carry illicit drugs, some carry despicable things that I don’t want to start mentioning here, sex toys and others. This is because they are not traceable, they are not registered and they are not licensed.

 “For security risk that people are exposed to, of course, people will use them, people of like minds who want to perpetrate criminality would make use them. They won’t find policemen stopping them, opening their boxes, but what they conceal inside is actually alarming.”

Asked for the statistics of illegal courier operators in the state, Sonde further said, “Based on postal statistics and surveillance, the market intelligence we have done, in Osun State alone, we have over 500 illegal courier operators. You can see that we are just scratching the surface and this is the first time we are conducting this enforcement activity in Osun State, which means that we are just getting started.