But reacting to the report, Bei in a statement she personally signed denied that the store was meant for a specific group of people.
Liu Bei, the owner of the Abuja-based Chinese supermarket allegedly barring Nigerians from shopping in her store has debunked the allegation.
SaharaReporters had reported on Monday that the Chinese supermarket allegedly restricted entry to Chinese nationals only.
But reacting to the report, Bei in a statement she personally signed denied that the store was meant for a specific group of people.
She added that it was not established as a supermarket but rather a retail shop aimed at meeting the essential needs of her local community.
In the statement sent to PUNCH in Chinese and English Language on Tuesday, Bei explained that she felt scared seeing a lot of people in front of her store.
According to her, the small retail shop was not a supermarket like other grocery stores and revealed plans to close the shop after downsizing operations in December 2023.
“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.
“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.”
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Monday sealed the facility and threatened sanction.