FG seals off Abuja store as crackdown on food hoarding and price fixing begins
Twenty-four hours after President Bola Tinubu unveiled plans to tackle factors responsible for the food crisis, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), today February 16, sealed Sahad Store, a popular supermarket in the Garki area of Abuja.
The management of the supermarket was accused of shortchanging customers by charging prices other than the price tag on the shelves. The enforcement was led by FCCPC Acting Executive Vice Chairman, Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi.
FG seals off Abuja store as crackdown on food hoarding and price fixing begins
While speaking to newsmen, Abdullahi said the commission’s preliminary investigation confirmed that the management of the supermarket were short-changing customers. He said the store would remain sealed until the completion of the further investigation.
“What we have found out that these people are doing is misleading pricing and lack of transparency in the pricing, which is against Section 115 (3) of the law that says a consumer is not required to pay a price for any good or service higher than the one that’s on display.
Section 155 states that any corporate person that contravenes is liable to a fine of 100 million naira or even more and the directors of the company themselves are liable upon conviction payment of 10 million naira each or imprisonment of six months or both.
What we have done today is to make sure that they comply with the law. We initially called them to come and defend themselves but failed to show up. In the long run, they sent a lawyer whom we asked if he was familiar with the facts of the case. He said he wasn’t. To unseal the store, they have to make sure that they do what is required to be done.”
