The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) on Tuesday seized fake electrical cables and wires worth N30.5 million in Ekiti State. The incident took place during a raid on some major markets in the state after an intelligence report revealed that some suppliers were dealing with poor quality cables.

The SON task force has sealed off a number of shops after seizing the substandard items in truckloads. Director, Inspection and Compliance Department, SON, Pius Manji, said the exercise was aimed at cleansing the market of substandard cables and wires. Manji, who was represented by Joel Aboyeji, said the substandard items were evacuated to prevent them from entering circulation.

According to him, the unscrupulous importer even went so far as to clone popular brands to deceive innocent citizens. Such a development, he noted, could hit local producers and investments in the sector and pose serious dangers to households, most of which would be prone to fire outbreaks due to the use of substandard products.

SON, he stressed, would not relent on its mandate to ensure that only quality products are allowed into the markets.

While noting that the seized cables and wires would be destroyed, he, however, assured that the SON would not relent until it prosecuted electricity dealers who flood the markets with substandard products.

He said SON’s enforcement team would continue to target dubious importers and sellers dealing in substandard electrical materials, just as he warned electrical cable dealers to stop selling the products or risk having the products regulatory agency would be seized.