FCCPC’s Director of Surveillance and Investigation, Boladale Adeyinka, said the operation followed credible intelligence on the deceptive repackaging practice
By Titilope Adako
Abuja, Nigeria | April 16 2025
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Tuesday sealed several shops in Abuja’s Utako Market for allegedly rebagging local rice and selling it as popular foreign brands.
The commission, backed by police officers and security personnel, said the brands being sold—such as Royal Stallion and Mama Gold—have not been officially imported into Nigeria since 2015.
Over five large shops were affected, and their owners have been directed to report to the FCCPC headquarters for further investigation.
FCCPC’s Director of Surveillance and Investigation, Boladale Adeyinka, said the operation followed credible intelligence on the deceptive repackaging practice.
She described the act as exploitative, adding, “That is against consumer economic interests.”
Adeyinka stated that the brands used for repackaging had ceased exports nearly a decade ago, yet are still widely seen in the market.
“They are not imported. They are not from Thailand. In fact, for Mama Gold, all exports ceased as far back as 2015,” she said.
She also warned that the FCCPC would identify the culprits, confiscate the fraudulent products, and impose fines or prosecute defaulters.
“We will follow the trail to identify those producing and branding local rice with foreign labels. The brand owners have publicly stated they are no longer in Nigeria, but these cartels continue to exploit buyers,” she said.
Igwenma Alex, secretary of the Utako Market Shop Ownership/Traders Association, criticised the operation, saying traders were unaware of the import ban.
“When something is banned, shouldn’t awareness be created for Nigerians? It’s not just about the traders,” he said.
A trader whose shop was sealed also claimed ignorance, saying he sourced his rice from Kaduna and Kano and would not have bought it if he knew it was counterfeit.
“If I knew those products were banned or no longer in the market, I would not have bought them,” he said.
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