The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) seized fake electrical cables and wires worth N30.5 million during a raid on major markets in Ekiti State on Tuesday.
According to the SON, the raid was conducted in response to an intelligence tip-off that certain market vendors were engaging in the sale of substandard cables.
Following the seizure of the substandard items, the SON task force took further action by sealing off several shops that were found to be selling the counterfeit products.
The SON Inspectorate and Compliance Department director, Pius Manji, represented by Engineer Joel Aboyeji, said the raid was carried out to sanitise the markets of substandard cables and wires and prevent them from going into circulation.
Aboyeji noted that the importer cloned popular brands to deceive the public and decried how such acts affected local manufacturers and investments in the sector and were dangerous to households as substandard products could be flammable.
he warned that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) would not only seize the substandard cables and wires but also take legal action against electrical dealers who persist in flooding the markets with counterfeit products.
Farouk Salim, the Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), previously attributed the majority of fire outbreaks in Nigeria to the importation of substandard electrical cables.
