Chinese supermarket owner in Abuja denies barring Nigerians

The proprietor of a Chinese supermarket in Abuja who has come under fire for denying admission to Chinese nationals and rejecting Nigerians has denied allegations that her establishment caters only to a particular demographic.

She also made it clear that her business is a retail store that aims to provide for the basic necessities of her neighborhood rather than a supermarket.

In a handwritten statement that was given to PUNCH Online on Tuesday in both Chinese and English, Liu Bei revealed this. She said that she is afraid to see so many strangers in front of her store.

Her response came after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission closed her store on Monday and issued a summons with the prospect of sanctions.

According to a Sunday PUNCH story, the supermarket has instituted a contentious policy that limits admission to Chinese nationals only, so preventing Nigerians from shopping there.

Social media platforms saw a great deal of condemnation of this policy as Nigerians expressed their outrage at the discriminatory treatment.

However, Bei defended herself by saying that she sells to all nationalities—residents, employees, and tourists who visit her store after seeing the office complex. She said that the tiny retail establishment is not a supermarket like other food stores and disclosed that it would close operations soon, following the operational downsizing in December 2023.

The statement read in full:

“My name is Liu Bei. I watched PUNCH’s news about Chinese supermarkets not allowing Nigerians to enter for shopping.

“Now there are a lot of people in front of my store who I don’t know where they come from. I feel scared and I want to explain something.

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“My shop is in the Royal Choice Estate, Airport Road, Abuja. It’s a small retail shop, not a supermarket like SHOPRITE. I mainly sell things to community residents and people who work here. Sometimes some visitors will come to my store to buy something after visiting the company In the office building, regardless of nationality.

“Since December 2023, I downsized the operations of my shop and have been planning to close.

“I don’t discriminate against any Nigerians, I even have several local employees in my store and we have a good relationship. However, for safety reasons, the community has requirements for visitors, so not everyone can enter the community directly.

“I feel sorry for the altercation between the security guard and the visitor in the video. Two Nigerians did come to my store that day to buy something, and I sold to them.”

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