The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has commenced efforts to track down manufacturers of counterfeit television sets after a video circulated online from the Alaba International Market area of Lagos State.
The video was reportedly filmed within the market, showed piles of television cartons branded with well-known names, while a voice in the background alleged that the items were fake and assembled locally.
In the clip, an unidentified speaker accused some Alaba traders of printing logos of popular TV brands on illegally assembled products.
He further claimed that certain television sets carrying LG and Hisense labels, along with their packaging, were counterfeit and manufactured within the Alaba market.
He claimed that the traders printed brand logos on the cartons, remote controls, and the edges of the television sets to make them appear genuine.
The man further alleged that a shop he visited had over 3,000 of the fake television sets already branded.
He said, “I was in Alaba and I came across these guys that are printing on new televisions, especially LG and Hisense.
If you bought an LG TV, irrespective of the size, and it has this carton, it is actually fake. All these are produced in Alaba. Those who are into printing understand this. The guy is printing LG’s logo on the cartons.
“What these guys do is send their request to a Chinese company that produces TVs and tell them to produce a low-quality TV.”
Reacting to the development, the Press Liaison Officer of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Angela Okisor, said the agency had begun tracking those behind the fraudulent practices.
Okisor, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, added that the organisation was also collaborating with security operatives, noting that investigations were being carried out at a high level.
She noted, “We are tracking the stuff. We are working with the union to sort it out. We are working with security operatives on it. We are working at a high level.”
