Rice City Raid: Company suspects foul play

…Seeks Police help to retrieve bags of rice

Popular rice retail outlet, Rice City has lamented the injustice occasioned by the raid on their office penultimate Sunday by people claiming to be staff of Consumer Protection Council.

In a statement made available to NEWS LINK, counsel to the rice merchants, Barr. Victor Iyanam said the company was left bemused because the said CPC officials did not reveal their identities and left with 1500 bags of rice in unregistered vehicles to unknown destination. He said the actions of the suspected CPC officials smacks of insensitivity and is at variance to fair trade.

According to the legal luminary, a case against the Council was in the offing for damages over the raid and seizure of the goods.

“ On Sunday, some men who claimed to come from CPC, Abuja, ransacked and destroyed rice stacked in bags and resting on strong, wooden platforms as required by experience and best practices in the rice trade.

“At the end of the rampage, the men claiming to be from the CPC carted away 1500 bags of rice mainly of the local variants. They  came in three trucks, none was registered and can therefore not be identified. The place to which the bags of rice were carted remains unknown”, the statement read.

Continuing, it read: “We are dismayed that the conduct of the CPC negates the courteous and humane manner the CPC was always expected to act. By the provision of Rules 10 and 11 of the of the Consumer Protection( Products and Services Monitoring and Registration) Regulations 2005, the CPC would be expected to issue some notice before moving against any marketer.

“Besides, carting away 1500 bags of rice with a market value of  N 24,750,000 is excessive and unreasonable in the circumstance.

“This is therefore a call on the Nigeria Police, Akwa Ibom State Command to come to the aid of Rice City and to ensure the return of her products”.