The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Wednesday raided Utako Market in Abuja, sealing over five shops for selling local rice packaged in foreign brand bags.
Speaking after the raid, the Director of Surveillance and Investigation, Boladale Adeyinka, said that based on intelligence obtained by the Commission regarding the re-bagging of local rice into foreign brand bags in the market, the organization decided to carry out the operation.
She explained that intelligence from brand owners also revealed that many of these brands are no longer in circulation. “We are carrying out this operation to confirm and validate the intelligence that local rice—our own rice—is being packaged in foreign brand bags and sold as imported rice,” she said.
Adeyinka further explained that due to the preference of many Nigerians for foreign brands, “market cartels are now re-bagging local rice and selling it as foreign rice.”
She described the practice as exploitative and against consumer economic interests. “Instead of buying your regular local rice, you’re being sold local rice in imported branded bags,” she noted.
“These rice products are not imported; they are not from Thailand or any foreign country. As a matter of fact, Mama Gold stopped production as far back as 2015,” she said, adding that the brand is still falsely being sold in Nigerian markets.
She stated that the products would be confiscated. “We will identify those producing and branding local rice as foreign products no longer available in the market.
“The brand owners have already informed consumers that those brands are no longer in the Nigerian market. They are not importing them anymore. But because of the strong brand image, these cartels are exploiting it by re-bagging local rice and deceiving consumers.”
“We will continue to evacuate such products from the market. We urge everyone to ensure they are buying from local mills, licensed distributors, or authorized importers. It will benefit you in the long run,” she added.
On the penalty for the offence, the Director said, “We have administrative penalties and fines under our law. Due process will be followed based on the infractions.
“We will also continue to remove these products from circulation. And if you resist or fail to cooperate with our investigations to identify the source, we will prosecute you.
“We’ll keep ourselves under the radar to continue monitoring intelligence. In particular, we will also visit the places where these branded bags are sold.
“As you are aware, you cannot sell branded bags to just anyone. They are meant to be sold only to companies for legitimate production purposes. You can’t just sit in the market and start packing local rice into branded bags,” she concluded.
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