Many Warehouses in Kano state, North West, Nigeria, have been sealed by the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission, PCACC, for hoarding foodstuff, and other essential goods.
For the past few weeks, Nigerians have experienced a high cost of living and occasioned the daily hike in the prices of foodstuffs and other commodities.
In a swift operations on Sunday, officials of Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission, PCACC, led by its Chairman Muhyi Magaji Rimingado sealed many warehouses in Dawanau International grains market.
The warehouses were filled with rice, spaghetti, beni seeds, and sugar, among others.
The PCACC team also visited the Singer grocery International market and popular Kwari Textile Markets.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, the Chairman Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission, PCACC, led by its Chairman Muhyi Magaji Rimingado said, the warehouses owners have been issued notice to report to the anti graft Commission preparatory to facing charges before the court of law for their illegal activities that are telling hard on the populace.
“As you can see, the Kano state Public Complaint and Anti Corruption Commission, PCACC
has made true it’s promise that we are going to embark on fight against hoarding of essential commodities in the state.
“We started last Thursday, and we have made a significant impact towards stopping the instant rise in the price of essential commodities. It was such that within a week, rice had jumped from N52,000 to N61,000 within a week.
“Alhamdulillah, form what we have done so far. We are certain that there is impact. From here, we are going to the market to ascertain the situation.
Rimingado noted that, the intervention of the agency, was able to stop the instant increase in prices of the commodities and secondly “we have the belief that if we sustain the tempo we will be able to bring down the prices from where they have gotten to.
“One fundamental problem is each warehouse had claim that it is the World Food Program Store. We wonder if the world food program will starve the country while taking the food somewhere else.
“You can see, I was told here today that the price of maize has jumped from N30,000 to N60,000. So you see, a hundred per cent increase, this is unacceptable. You can see these stores. There are hundreds of millions of Naira worth of hoarded commodities.”
He explained that the agency is taking over the stores and will make some arrests.
Rimingado said, “This is not a market. This is a warehouse. We have activated our intelligence mechanism, and they have come up with reports on where and how they are hoarding it.”
Recalled that the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission, PCACC, had in the early week threatened to lock down warehouses and stores, hoarding foodstuff or essential items in Kano city.
Shakirat Sadiq
