The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has seized counterfeit electrical cables and wires valued at over 30 million Naira in Ekiti State. The operation took place during a raid in several major markets following intelligence reports that some vendors were selling substandard cables.
The SON taskforce sealed off several shops and confiscated the substandard items, loading them onto trucks for removal. Mr. Pius Manji, Director of the Inspectorate and Compliance Department at SON, briefed the press after the raid. Represented by Engr. Joel Aboyeji, Manji explained that the operation aimed to cleanse the markets of unsafe cables and wires.
Manji noted that the substandard items were removed to prevent their circulation. He highlighted that the unscrupulous importers had cloned popular brands to deceive consumers, posing serious risks to households and potentially leading to fire outbreaks due to the use of substandard products. This practice also undermines local manufacturers and investments in the sector.
He emphasized that SON is committed to ensuring that only quality products are available in the markets. The confiscated cables and wires will be destroyed, and SON will persist in prosecuting dealers who distribute substandard products. Manji warned that SON’s enforcement team would continue to target importers and sellers of substandard electrical materials, urging electrical cable dealers to desist from such practices or face ongoing seizures and prosecution.
Their actions, he stressed, not only sabotage and harm local industries and the economy but also endanger the lives of Nigerians.
