The owner of an Abuja-based Chinese shop under fire for limiting entry to Chinese nationals clarified that it serves all residents, workers, and visitors regardless of nationality.
Liu Bei, in a statement, emphasized her store’s role as a community retail shop, not a supermarket, aiming to meet essential needs.
Responding to backlash, she mentioned feeling uneasy about unfamiliar faces outside her store.
She plans to close the shop after downsizing operations in December 2023.
The statement reads: “My name is Liu Bei. I watched PUNCH’s news about Chinese supermarkets not allowing Nigerians to enter for shopping.
“Now there are a lot of people in front of my store who I don’t know where they come from. I feel scared and I want to explain something.
“My shop is in the Royal Choice Estate, Airport Road, Abuja. It’s a small retail shop, not a supermarket like SHOPRITE. I mainly sell things to community residents and people who work here. Sometimes some visitors will come to my store to buy something after visiting the company In the office building, regardless of nationality.
She added that due to certain reasons not mentioned, she had downsized operations in December 2023, to shut down the store in due time.
She went further to state that she does not discriminate against Nigerians, and she apologised for the misunderstanding that ensued between the visitor and the security guard.
Bei said, “Since December 2023, I downsized the operations of my shop and have been planning to close.
“I don’t discriminate against any Nigerians, I even have several local employees in my store and we have a good relationship. However, for safety reasons, the community has requirements for visitors, so not everyone can enter the community directly.
“I feel sorry for the altercation between the security guard and the visitor in the video. Two Nigerians did come to my store that day to buy something, and I sold to them.”
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