The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has shut down five foodstuff warehouses at Dawanau market in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state.
Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado, the Chairman of the commission led the team to inspect the sale of goods in the market where they discovered warehouses filled with soybeans, wheat, and other food items.
The agency first targeted a warehouse stocked up with various food items such as pasta, sugar, and children’s pasta belonging belonging to Hamir Investment.
Investigation revealed that the hoarding spree is in preparation for the upcoming fasting month of Ramadan to manipulate prices on the buyers.
The commission expressed its determination to continue cracking down on warehouses used for concealing essential food items to create artificial shortages in the market.
The Hausa version of the Daily Trust, Aminiya, reported that PCACC also closed down a large warehouse owned by Rigasa company, whose Chairman, Muhammad Ahmad, claimed that they were distributing food under a United Nations contract to states like Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.
The crackdown followed the hike of the prices of food with rice prices skyrocketing from N52,000 to N61,000 within a week.
Rimin Gado emphasized their commitment to combatting price hikes caused by hoarding and urged for cooperation from market leaders to address the issue.
PCACC also warned that they would take legal action against businessmen who engage in hoarding practices to inflate food prices in the state.
“Every warehouse we go to they say it’s for charity. We were surprised how the aid food will starve this country. I assure you that after completing our investigation, we will file the case before the court and the court will do its job,” said Rimin Gado.
The commission also visited the Singa market, where his team discussed with the leaders of the market to find a way to deal with the rise in food prices in the state.
On Thursday, Muhuyi threatened to join the businessmen who are hiding food items intending to make food items more expensive in the state.
WikkiTimes earler reported that Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State said he would meet President Bola Tunibu over the economic hardship the Nigerian masses are going through.
That was also coming a day after protest erupted in Minna, the Niger State capital over the persistent hike in prices of items in the market believed to be one of the impacts of the fuel subsidy removal.
Locals across all the states continued to cry out about the high cost of living leading to several people sleeping with scanty stomarchs.