The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Thursday sealed 4U Supermarket at Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2 for concealing bags of rice filled with weevils, expired drugs, drinks and products in the branch.
The seal off was followed by alleged deception by management of the supermarket to hide the affected rice at its headquarters.
Some of the staff of the supermarket were caught pulling off the expired dates of some of the products in the supermarket.
The officials also evacuated about 94 bags in the two branches of supermarket at Wuse 2 in Abuja.
The affected products are 5kg and 10kg of Caprice and Royal Stallion rice which were produced in August 2022 and October 2022, respectively. They are expected to expire in 2027.
The price displayed on the weevil laden 10kg bags of rice cost was N19, 000 each.
The acting executive vice chairman of FCCPC, Adamu Ahmed Abudullahi, who led the raid, said Caprice and Stallion rice were still stocked and were being sold in the supermarket years after the companies had stopped production.
He frowned at the “obnoxious practices” undertaken by management of the supermarket, noting that the integrity of products being sold at 4U Supermarket could no longer be guaranteed as it exposed consumers to unsafe products.
He said it was in continuation of efforts to ensure that prices in the market reflect what is displayed.
“Nowadays, we have found out that there is a lot of pretence in what’s happening, especially in markets around the major cities in the country.
“You go to the shelf; the product displayed is different from what appears when you come to pay at the counter.
“So, it shows that the practice should no longer continue. In addition, we found out another thing that really baffles us. Nobody knows that Stallion group has stopped production for a very long time,” Abudullahi said.
