Nigeria police warn dispatch riders, e-hailers against transporting unconfirmed packages

The Nigeria Police have warned dispatch riders, courier services and e-hailing drivers against accepting and transporting packages whose true contents they are not aware of. The warning was disclosed by the spokesperson of the Delta State Command, ASP Edafe Bright, during the parade of a driver who was caught transporting live catridges.

Noting that the driver was intercepted during a stop-and-search exercise, the spokesperson explained that while many citizens find stop-and-search to be inconvenient, it is, however, not illegal. This is because it is an integral part of policing, termed Proactive Policing Strategy, which helps in crime detection and prevention.

“Operatives of the C Division, Asaba, while conducting stop-and-search duty, intercepted a bus driver on that road. And upon search, these were neatly packaged inside this carton with a phone number. When he was asked what was inside this package, he (the driver) said it was padlocks. But the men, in their usual manner of being very sharp and smart, decided to unveil and check what was inside. Behold, 400 rounds of live cartridges and according to the driver, he was transporting them to Edo state,” ASP Edafe said.

Bright Edafe

While narrating his side of the story, the driver, one Ozoemenam Onyekachukwu, said somebody brought it to the park of Blessed Amobi Transport, which he drove for.

“He told me it was keys that were packaged inside,” the driver said.

He said he tried to open and confirm the items, but because the bag in which the carton was put was locked with a padlock, he couldn’t open it.

See also: FCTA suspends N25,000 dispatch riders’ permit levy after massive protest

According to Edafe, the driver agreed to transport a package whose content he couldn’t verify, and this was what landed him in trouble.

“I am saying this so that people will learn. Especially people who call themselves dispatch riders or couriers. You must confirm what you are carrying. Most of these things we bring out to the public are not to embarrass or frighten anybody. It is because there is a lesson to learn,” ASP Bright Edafe said.

Questions around dispatch riders and the increasing risk factor

Dispatch riders, couriers and deliverymen have become an important part of the economic system. This is especially so in cities and large towns. Forming a major part of last-mile delivery, dispatch riders have become essential to trade, ecommerce and other commercial activities.

At the onset, deliveries typically last days. It usually involved taking the package to the office of the delivery company, where it would be vetted and processed before being handed over to a dispatch rider for onward delivery.

But trade, transactions and businesses started becoming too fast, and needs became too urgent to wait several days. This brought about the need for same-day delivery, which soon became a buzzword. Soon enough, it became the most important criterion and selling point for many delivery companies, overshadowing security, proper handling and sometimes efficiency.

This was where the business changed, and delivery companies started sending dispatch riders to the customer’s location to pick up the goods and transport them straight to the destination. It was at this point that e-hailing companies joined the fray, as their basic transport models suited the delivery model with deadly efficacy.

However, the need for speed led to a terrible decline in oversight, such that, beyond what they were told, dispatch riders and e-hailing drivers usually do not know the real content of their packages.

The development is another reminder about the risks of transporting unvetted and unverified items by dispatch riders and e-hailing drivers. It also highlights the need for delivery companies to reduce the risk factor for their transporters by developing a system to properly clear an item for transporting without compromising same-day delivery.

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