The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Tuesday sealed several wholesale shops in Utako Market, Abuja, for allegedly re-bagging and selling underweight local rice as foreign brands.
Speaking during the enforcement operation, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of the Surveillance and Investigations Department of the FCCPC, said the raid followed credible intelligence indicating that traders were fraudulently repackaging Nigerian rice in foreign bags and selling them at inflated prices.
“We are carrying out this operation to confirm and validate the intelligence that local rice, our own rice, is being packaged in foreign brands and sold as foreign rice,” she said. “Because the appetite of Nigerians is for foreign brands which are no longer in the market, the market cartels are now going about re-bagging the local rice and selling them as foreign rice. That is exploitative and against consumer economic interests.”
Adeyinka emphasized that the commission would confiscate the products and trace the network behind the rebranding to identify producers and distributors involved in the scheme.
Citing a notable example, she said, “As a matter of fact, for Mama Gold, as far back as 2015, they stopped all their export. This is 2025, and yet, like you heard from the testimony of the trader, he is aware that they don’t sell those sizes anymore. So that is why we are here.”
She added that traders found guilty would face administrative penalties and fines under the FCCP Act, assuring that due process would be followed.
In a message to consumers, Adeyinka advised those who prefer foreign rice to patronize only certified importers or official distributors to ensure the authenticity and quality of their purchase.
Some affected traders claimed ignorance of the illegitimacy of the products.
Mr. Emmanuel Nneji, one of the shop owners whose store was sealed, said he was unaware that Stallion Company had discontinued production of the rice in question. “If there had been a publication that says that this particular product is no more in the market, I would not have bought it, because I do not want to buy goods and at the end of everything, I will lose it,” he said. “So what I’m begging is that even if they say I should make sure that I return it back, that tomorrow they are coming, and they don’t want to find it, I will do it.”
Another trader, who declined to be named, admitted that he stocked the rebagged rice because of high customer demand. “I buy the rice because people ask of it a lot, but I still sell the 10kg for N18,000 and not the normal N25,000 to N28,000 which the foreign brand is sold,” he said.
Reacting to the operation, Mr. Alex Igwemma, Secretary of the Utako Market Traders Association, expressed displeasure at the Commission’s unannounced visit. He however acknowledged that traders should have been aware that the product was no longer in circulation and urged them to prioritize quality and transparency in their dealings.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at least five major wholesale shops were sealed during the raid, with the owners summoned by the FCCPC for further investigation.
