Bauchi Anti-Corruption Agency Warns Against Price Hikes

The chairman of Bauchi Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (BS-PLAC), DIG Sani Usman Muhammad (rtd) has warned dealers of food items and essential commodities against hoarding of food items and unnecessary hike in prices of commodities in the state.
Usman gave the warning yesterday during a meeting with officials of major dealers of foodstuff in the state stressing that the agency would not tolerate any act of greed that could cause hardship to the people of the state.

He expressed the readiness to curtail such an attitude and the culprits dealt with.
He said plans were on to discuss ways and means of making food commodities accessible and affordable to the general public and to curtail hoarding.
DIG Muhammad stressed the need for all commodity merchants in the state to come together and proffer solutions to the lingering exorbitant foodstuff prices in the markets and its affordability to the poor masses who hardly enjoy one quality meal a day.
He expressed dismay over how some businessmen and traders hoard essential commodities thereby posing harsh situations to the poor, saying the state government was looking into the possibility of cushioning the effects of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.

Chairman, Bauchi Traders and Artisans Association in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed popularly called Abdallah Caps assured of their support to the commission towards the achieving the desired objectives.
He called on his members to shun the habit of hoarding of food items and unnecessary hike in price of commodities in order to avoid incurring the wrath of the laws.

Alhaji Mohammed however blamed some politicians whom, he said, due to the availability of cash in their possession often prefer mass purchase of produce and storing them in warehouses rather than taking their monies to the banks.
He alleged that there were instances where some politicians engaged people to purchase 10 to 20 or even more trailer loads of farm produce for them from the markets across the state.