FCCPC raids Abuja Market, seals outlets over alleged sale of native rice as international manufacturers
Officers of the Federal Competitors and Shopper Safety Fee (FCCPC) have raided the Utako market in Abuja, sealing a number of outlets over the alleged shopping for and promoting of native rice re-bagged as international manufacturers by market cartels.
The operation, which happened on Tuesday, was carried out with the help of law enforcement officials and different safety operatives, and was monitored by Nairametrics.
Nairametrics stories that the FCCPC officers focused store homeowners promoting rice manufacturers like Royal Stallion and Mama Gold, asserting that intelligence gathered indicated these corporations had ceased importing their rice manufacturers into Nigeria way back to 2015.
Nairametrics noticed that greater than 5 massive outlets stocked with numerous baggage of rice had been sealed in the course of the raid, and the homeowners had been directed to report back to the FCCPC headquarters for investigation.
Ongoing Probe Into Rice Cartels
Explaining the event in a press interview, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of the Surveillance and Investigation Division at FCCPC, mentioned that intelligence indicated a pattern of re-bagging native rice as international manufacturers.
- In accordance with her, intelligence from international model homeowners additionally confirmed that these international rice manufacturers are not obtainable within the Nigerian market.
“The Fee has resolved to hold out this ongoing operation to verify and validate stories that native rice is being packaged as imported rice,” she defined.
Standing beside a sealed store, Mrs. Adeyinka emphasised that on account of Nigerians’ desire for international rice—regardless of it not being imported—market cartels have allegedly resorted to re-bagging native rice and promoting it as international.
“That’s exploitative. That’s towards client {economic} pursuits,” she mentioned.
- She famous that as an alternative of shoppers shopping for native rice as it’s, they’re being misled into buying it in imported-branded baggage.
“They don’t seem to be imported. They don’t seem to be from Thailand. In actual fact, for Mama Gold, all exports ceased way back to 2015. That is 2025, and but, as you heard from the testimony of a dealer, he’s conscious that these sizes are not offered. That’s why we’re right here,” she mentioned.
- She added that due course of could be adopted, and the implicated merchandise could be confiscated by the federal authorities.
“We are going to observe the path to determine these producing and branding native rice with international labels that not exist out there. The model homeowners have already publicly introduced they’re not distributing in Nigeria. Nevertheless, on account of model recognition, these cartels proceed to take advantage of shoppers,” she added.
- She assured the general public that the Fee will proceed to take away such merchandise from the market.
- She warned sellers to make sure they’re sourcing their inventory from Nigerian mills or approved distributors/importers of international manufacturers.
“We now have administrative penalties and fines underneath our legislation,” she mentioned, noting that any resistance by merchants or refusal to cooperate with investigators will lead to prosecution.
Merchants React
Talking to the press, Igwenma Alex, secretary of the Utako Market Store Possession/Merchants Affiliation, claimed that rice sellers had full inventory and had been unaware that the international manufacturers had been banned.
“When one thing is banned, shouldn’t consciousness be created for Nigerians? In order that they understand it’s now thought-about counterfeit? Even while you ban one thing, it’s not simply concerning the merchants—you’re defending your entire nation,” he mentioned.
He argued that each shoppers and sellers lacked consciousness of the event.
One of many merchants whose store was sealed by the FCCPC, informed the press that if he knew these rice merchandise had been banned or are not out there, he wouldn’t have purchased it.
He careworn that he buys his items from Kaduna Highway and Kano.
What You Ought to Know
Below Part 125 of the FCCPA, companies are prohibited from making false or misleading representations about product attributes to shoppers.
Part 138 reinforces this by holding producers, importers, distributors, and suppliers accountable for breaches of implied obligations, together with product claims.
