Obi Seeks Stronger Oversight To Check Drug Trafficking Via Courier Services

Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for stronger oversight to address drug traffickers’ infiltration of Nigeria’s courier and delivery services sector.

Describing the situation as worrisome, Obi added that the country must rise above a dangerous decline and rebuild a system where laws are sacred, leaders are accountable, and no one is above justice.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (ND­LEA) recently uncovered that dispatch riders are being used as unsuspecting or willing couri­ers in drug trafficking operations.

Similarly, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) also raised the alarm over the trending activities of ‘courier operators’ ferrying dangerous weapons and illicit drugs in the country.

Posting on X, Obi said, “The recent revelation that drug traffickers have infiltrated Nigeria’s courier and delivery services sector is worrisome and another sad reminder of how deep our national decay has become.

“When criminal networks can now use logistics companies to distribute narcotics across the country, it shows how weak our institutions and relevant monitoring systems are.

“The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has repeatedly raised concern about this trend, yet it continues to grow, apparently aided by corruption and poor regulation that have turned the enforcement body into a joke. Drug trafficking remains a big danger to society and a serious international offence that cannot be overlooked.

“It destroys families, fuels crime, and corrodes the conscience of a nation. A country already battling insecurity, large youth unemployment, and hunger cannot afford a drug-normalised culture.

“Nigeria, therefore, needs stronger oversight and must rise above this dangerous decline and rebuild a system where laws are sacred, leaders are accountable, and no one is above justice. Nigeria will only heal when character, truth, and responsibility return to governance,” Obi noted.