The Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission in Kano State has explained why it sealed warehouses suspected of hoarding essential goods.
Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, the chairman of the commission, Muhyi Magaji, said the action had yielding positive impacts.
He said, “Why we acted this way is because there is an instant increase in the prices of foodstuffs which have generated a lot of concerns among the populace in Kano.
“We received public complaints, we received public suggestions to government and we came under instant pressure especially when we had acted previously during the COVID-19 and yielded positive results.
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“Before we even did it, we invited the traders to our office and in the case of Dawanau, I visited the market myself and told them that we were going to embark on crackdown on hoarding activities.
“I will tell you that in Kano it has been yielding results because we are able to stabilize the price as I am talking to you now.”
The chairman further stressed the legal basis for the crackdown, stating that hoarding is an illegal activity.
“If you look at the price control act which was a decree promulgated in 1976, hoarding of essential commodities is a criminal offence in Nigeria. You can check the law, we can’t embark on this when we know we don’t have legal backing,” he added.
