The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday fixed June 25, 2020, for the arraignment of two supermarkets and two pharmacies charged for hiking prices of key hygiene products such as hand sanitisers and face masks. Tribune Online reports that the companies were charged to court by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC) for allegedly taking undue advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to inflate prices of key hygiene products including hand sanitisers and face masks contrary to Section 108(1) of FCCP Act 2018. Other defendants in the matter, Prince Ebeano Super Market and David Chukwuma sent an electronic communication explaining their reasons for being absent in court. In his explanation, Chukwuma blamed his inability to appear in court on interstate movement restriction by the Federal Government due to COVID-19. Earlier, the presiding judge, Justice Nkonye Maha, raised the issue of jurisdiction, stressing that the matter ought to have been taken to the tribunal.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 09, 2020 17:58 UTC