The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has vowed to take action against warehouses and shops that hoard food and other goods, thus, aggravating the high costs of living the people are now experiencing.
The Commission’s head, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, revealed this to reporters yesterday while responding to the recent public outcry over increasing suffering.
He said the commission has activated its intelligence mechanism on the matter and will clamp down on the warehouses and stores used for hoarding essential commodities, like food, before the Islamic month of Ramadan.
He urged the public to provide the commission with pertinent information that would enable it to locate the warehouses and retail locations where goods were being hoarded.
“With the advent of Ramadan, we are not going to fold our arms as we are going to swing into action. We are not going to watch people take advantage of the situation by engaging in hoarding and compounding the situation.
“We are requesting that anyone with pertinent information come forward and assist the commission in locating warehouses or retail establishments where hoarding is occurring. With such accurate information, the commission will be happy and will keep the person’s identity private.
“I believe there is a problem of inflation which is one of the genesis of hardship but hoarding too also contributes, and we will not allow it.
“To even hoard and take advantage of the people is undue and that is part of corruption. We are overwhelmed, this is the most essential part of our job.
“The Kano State government is worried over the situation. The situation is unbearable, people are hungry. A hungry man is an angry man.
“We are appealing to the traders that if they know they hoard the foodstuffs to take advantage of the situation, they should bring them out to the market because we will not allow it.
“Furthermore, there are three things we can do if we discover that necessities were hoarded. Closing the business, seizing the assets, and filing a lawsuit are some of the alternatives.
“And the court will advise us on what to do with the property in its wisdom. And that is a disadvantage for the owner because the property has been seized and may become spoiled,” said Rimingado.
