NIPOST, NCA screen letters for bombs

The Nigerian Postal Service has intensified alliance with security agencies including the National Crime Agency of United Kingdom in order to foil the export and import of terrorism through the postal system. The Acting Post Master General of the Federation, Mr. Enoch Ogun, disclosed this to our correspondent on the sideline of the celebration of the 2015 World Postal Day in Abuja on Friday.

Ogun also disclosed that the postal system intercepted letters containing fake financial instruments worth N4.29bn between January and June.


He said, “Security challenges occasioned by terrorism across the globe have created the need for most postal administrations to ensure that letters and parcels are not just delivered to customers without ascertaining their safety nature. “Many of us were witnesses of the use of parcel bombs, anthrax and chemicals by some unscrupulous elements to destroy their perceived enemies some years back.

NIPOST will continue to ensure the security of all mail items as a paramount requisite irrespective of who the recipient or addressee is.” He added, “To achieve this, we have intensified our collaboration with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Department of State Services, Nigerian Customs Service and the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom.

“This collaboration will assist in checkmating the use of NIPOST as a conduit for the transmission of arms and ammunition, hard drugs and other prohibited items through the post. “It is worthy to note that between January and June this year, security operatives at the International Mail Processing Centre, Ikeja, Lagos intercepted 400 scam letters containing negotiable financial instruments whose monetary value was worth N4, 293,944,787.”

Ogun also disclosed that NIPOST had rolled out a new product – International Money Order – called post-transfer to enable Nigerians in the Diaspora to send money to their relatives through the postal system.

He said, “In this respect, NIPOST has already entered into a bilateral agreement with postal administrations of Cameroon, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. “We have also signed with United Arab Emirate to extend our reach to the Middle East, United States, and China, India so that Nigerians in these countries can send money to Nigeria and also receive from Nigerian through the post office.”