By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed off the head office of a popular supermarket in the Garki area of Abuja, Sahad Stores, for extorting customers through price disparity.
This is coming after President Bola Tinubu unveiled plans to tackle factors responsible for the food crisis across the country, one of which is going after hoarders.
The Director for the Surveillance and Investigations Department at FCCPC, Mrs Boladale Adeyinka, said that price tags on products on the shelves of the supermarket were different from prices at the pay point computers.
Mrs Adeyinka said that even the same products and brands had different prices.
”The same products, the same brand has different prices. One is N5,000 while one is N6,000.
”Imagine if you buy 10 pairs, that means you have been short-changed by N10,000. In this period, we want people to have maximum value for their money,” she stated.
Also commenting, the acting Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Mr Adamu Abdullahi, who led the enforcement team to close down the premises of the mart on Friday, said the act was an obnoxious practice which amounted to a violation of rights under the FCCP Act.
Mr Abdullahi said the practice contravened Section 155 (3) of the FCCPA and the fine amounted to N100 million or more.
“What we have found out that they are doing is misleading pricing and lack of transparency in their pricing which is against section 155 (3) of the FCCP Act.
”It is an obnoxious practice and amounts to a violation of rights under the FCCPCA.
”Section 155 of FCCPA states that any corporate person that contravenes this law is liable to a fine of N100 million or even more.
”We found out that they are contravening this law and made sure that we came to tell them that our mandate is very clear. What we have come here today to do is to make sure that they comply with the law.
”We called them to defend themselves, but they failed to show up and in the long run, they sent a lawyer and the lawyer is not familiar with the case, but we requested for names of people that we wanted to come and defend them.
”Those people refused to come, and these are the people in charge of retail, fixing prices on the computer system and shelves.
”We do not have a choice but to seal off the premises until they comply with the provisions of the law,” he said.
The FCCPC boss said that the commission would continue to protect the citizens in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda, promising to continue to monitor the supermarkets and make sure they complied with the law.
Modupe Gbadeyanka