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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security agents to clamp down on hoarders and speculators of food items in the country, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed off a popular supermarket in Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
The FCCPC enforcement team, led by the Acting Executive Vice Chairman, Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi, sealed off the supermarket on Friday.
The management of Sahad Store Supermarket was accused of shortchanging customers by charging prices than the official price tag on their shelves.
Addressing newsmen after sealing the store, Abdullahi said the commission’s preliminary investigation confirmed that the owners of the supermarket were shortchanging customers by changing prices arbitrarily.
He said the store would remain closed until the completion of investigation.
“We found out that these people are misleading the public woth their pricing. They lack transparency in their 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 N100 million or even more and the directors of the company themselves are liable, upon conviction, to pay N10 million 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 they 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,” FCCPC boss stated.