Africa Delivery Technologies (ADTL), the Dutch parent company of Nigerian last-mile delivery platform Kwik, has been declared bankrupt and placed under administration by an Amsterdam court following a court dispute with a former executive to whom the company owes about $50,000.
However, Kwik CEO Romain Peroit-Lellig insists that the company is financially sound. He says the filing does not affect Kwik’s operations in Nigeria, where it serves over 300,000 merchants, and recently raised $1 million in fresh funding.
This is the second known case of bankruptcy of a prominent logistics startup in Nigeria. In January, Gokada, another prominent last-mile delivery startup, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows an organisation to protect itself from creditors while developing a repayment plan under court supervision.
Kwik’s situation is different, it is an involuntary bankruptcy filed by creditors who suspect the business is both unable and unwilling to repay a debt.
Adam Grant, a former head of sales at Kwik, filed the bankruptcy claim. Previously, Grant sued the company for wrongful termination and was awarded $120,000 in unpaid salaries, which were later renegotiated to $75,000. Court documents show that Kwik paid one of three $25,000 instalments agreed upon but withheld the rest, citing concerns over French income tax obligations.
“We asked [Grant] to guarantee us that he will take care of his income tax obligations,” Peroit-Lellig told TechCabal. “As usual, he refused to do so and instead, he filed for bankruptcy for his balance.”
However, the Dutch court rejected Kwik’s tax argument and ruled that no additional tax was due, according to the filing seen by TechCabal.
Grant successfully initiated involuntary bankruptcy proceedings against Kwik, arguing that its parent company lacked the immediate liquidity to settle his debt and demonstrated an unwillingness to prioritise repayment. He contended that placing the company under administration, where a third-party administrator would oversee financial operations, was necessary to ensure creditors were paid. His claim was supported by similar allegations from other creditors regarding Kwik’s avoidance of due debt.
A second creditor, B54, a Nigerian startup that provides credit lines to startups, claims Kwik defaulted on a $50,000 loan. In February 2024, the company petitioned a Nigerian Federal High Court to liquidate Kwik’s parent company over the loan, according to court documents seen by TechCabal.
“B54 has had to institute legal proceedings against Kwik both locally and in Nigeria, and is joining other creditors in foreign proceedings,” B54 co-founder Lanre Oyedotun told TechCabal, declining further comment due to the ongoing case.
Peroit-Lellig acknowledged the debt to B54 but downplayed its significance, arguing that no formal legal service had occurred. “It is typical for companies to draft court documents to pressure debtors into payment, but they never file them in court due to consequent legal expenses,” he explained. “Moreover, I have been trying to reach B54 for a while to no avail.”
The CEO made similar claims in May 2024 when the Guardian Nigeria, a national publication, sued his company to collect millions of naira in unpaid rent for an Abuja warehouse.
Tive Ibru, director of the Guardian and one of his lawyers, confirmed the case remains active but declined to comment under sub judice rules. Pelliot again claimed he had not been formally served.
Despite these ongoing legal battles, Pelliot insists the company is solvent. According to him, Kwik has raised $6 million to date, including $1 million in 2025. He claims the company owes $2 million in convertible notes, convertible notes loans that convert into shares after some time or an event.
He told TechCabal that Kwik is not in any significant debt to anyone other than its shareholders, and therefore not insolvent.
“Whatever happened is not affecting the operations of the company,” Pelliot added. “The staff are getting paid from the Nigerian company, and riders are getting paid. Everybody’s getting paid. Fulfilment and delivery services are continuing without disruption.”
The company says it is in talks with Grant’s legal team to resolve the dispute.
Unlike Gokada’s voluntary filing, Kwik’s bankruptcy is involuntary, allowing its creditors to access and liquidate the company’s assets to recover their claims. Pelliot refuses any comparison with Gokada. He said the debt outside its shareholders is insignificant and well within the company’s capacity to pay off. He is also confident that this circumstance can be reversed.
“We deeply appreciate the continued support from our customers, partners, delivery riders, and shareholders,” Kwik said in a statement. “We remain fully committed to delivering high-quality service and value to all stakeholders.”
