The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed off 4 U supermarkets in Wuse 2, Abuja over shady malpractices that are harmful to Nigerian consumers.
During an enforcement exercise on Thursday, it was discovered that the supermarket is selling rice produced by Stallion and Caprice even though the said companies have stopped rice production for years.
It was also discovered that the prices of some products on the shelf were different from the prices at the selling point, while some products had no price tag at all.
Speaking during the enforcement, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, said the practices of the supermarket are injurious to the consumer.
“In continuation of our efforts to ensure that prices in the market reflect what is displayed. we have found out that there is a lot of pretence in what is happening especially in markets around the major cities in the country.
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“You have seen what we have done earlier with other markets, but today the same practice is still ongoing. You go to the shelf, and the product displayed is different from what appears when you come to pay at the counter, this is not acceptable because you are cheating consumers.”
Abdullahi explained that some of the products don’t even have price tags attached to them at all. “So, the buyer is at the mercy of the marketer.
“You can put whatever price you want there, and that is what the buyer will have to pay. This is unacceptable. That is why we are here to ensure that this kind of practice does not continue.
“In addition, we found out another thing that really baffles us. Everybody knows that Stallion Group has been comatose for a very long time now, yet there is Stallion and Caprice rice in the supermarket market,” he added.
However, when FCCPC moved to the second supermarket of 4 U, due to the uncooperative ways of the staff and further unhealthy discoveries, the Commission decided to seal off the supermarket.
Over 94 bags of rice and other unhealthy products were evacuated from the supermarket.
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