A counterfeit footwear operation in Ogun State allegedly relied on the appeal of foreign fashion labels to increase sales, with suspects telling police that imitated international brands attracted more customers than locally branded products.
The suspects, arrested over the production and sale of fake footwear at Meibalun International Nigeria Limited in Makun, Sagamu, reportedly admitted that attaching foreign brand names to the shoes boosted market patronage.
The Police Special Fraud Unit, Lagos, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, identifying the suspects as Ojeleye Esther, Olulenu Adebola, Adewunmi Titilayo and two Chinese nationals, Zhu Hai Chen and Zhou Hai Fen.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
According to the police, the company presented itself as a manufacturer of Nigerian-made footwear but allegedly produced shoes bearing the trademarks of Gucci, Nike, Timberland, Louis Vuitton, Adidas and other international brands without authorisation.
The police said the suspects’ admission reinforced the investigation into the commercial structure behind the alleged counterfeit operation.
“The suspects admitted that the use of imitated foreign brand names generated greater sales and market patronage for the company than products marketed under Nigerian-made branding,” the statement said.
Investigators also uncovered alleged irregularities in the company’s financial transactions, including the diversion of customer payments into private bank accounts rather than the company’s designated corporate account.
The police said the discovery prompted further financial tracing to establish the ownership, movement and use of the proceeds.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare.
The Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Eloho Edwin Okpoziakpo, said the unit’s responsibility to combat financial crimes covered not only banking and investment fraud but also commercial practices capable of undermining the integrity of the business environment.
He assured that the investigation would follow due process and that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice.
Discussion0