Woman facing seven years in Nigerian jail for writing an online review of tomato puree says she was forced to squat in flooded prison cell after she was held by cops as she describes horror ordeal

A pregnant Nigerian businesswoman has revealed her shocking treatment by the police who arrested her after she posted a negative review about a can of tomato paste on Facebook.

Chioma Okoli, a 39-year-old businesswoman based in Lagos, the country’s largest city, is facing criminal charges and charges in a civil court after she made negative comments about a product from Nigerian food manufacturer Erisco Foods.

She called on her 18,000 Facebook followers to share their thoughts on Ericso’s Nagiko Tomato Mix after sharing a photo of an opened can of the product, saying it was too sweet.

The businesswoman, currently pregnant with her fourth child, revealed that she feared for her life and that of her children after plainclothes officers of the Nigerian National Police arrested her in September while she was in church.

She told CNN she had to stand in a leaky cell for hours.

‘There were no seats, so I stood until the next day. My legs were in the water (which came in through the leaky roof),” she said.

‘Sometimes I squatted to reduce the pressure on my legs. I thought about my children who were home. I was talking to myself. I would think, I would pray, I was confused,” she added.

She was later flown to the Nigerian capital Abuja and held at another police station until released a day later.

After refusing to publicly apologize for her comments, Okoli was later criminally charged with two separate crimes, the most serious of which could land her behind bars for up to seven years.

She was charged with conspiring with two other people with ‘intent to incite people against Erisco Foods Limited’ and faces up to seven years in prison.

Okoli was also charged with ‘inciting Erisco Foods Limited knowing that the said information was false’, a crime that could end with a three-year prison sentence and a seven million naira (£3,950) fine.

Police tried to arrest her for a second time in January, entering her Lagos home in apparent violation of a restraining order issued by a court that explicitly prohibited them from arresting her without a court order.

“They stayed in my building from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. My children could not go to school that day and we could not go out to get food because the cooking gas had run out,” she said, adding that the police eventually withdrew and left.

Erisco is also pursuing a civil lawsuit against her after she claimed earlier this year that ‘several suppliers’ had severed ties with the company following her comments, and is seeking 5 billion naira (£2.8 million) in damages .

She has filed two countersuits against police and Erisco, which her legal team has described as a David versus Goliath battle, over their treatment of the businesswoman.

The company’s CEO, Eric Umeofia, has come under fire in Nigeria for his threatening behavior towards Okoli.

He revealed her speech to the nation during an interview about the ongoing legal battle, which according to her lawyer, Inhibehe Effiong, was waged “without regard to the safety of Chioma, her husband and her entire family.”

He also told broadcasters that he would “rather die than have anyone tarnish my image, which I have worked to grow for 40 years.”

The behavior of the police and Erisco has come under fire from groups around the world.

Amnesty International said: ‘The harassment and intimidation of Chioma Okoli must stop now.’

Nigerians have also said they plan to boycott the company over Okoli’s treatment.

One social media user said: ‘Erisco is oppressive, thin-skinned, insensitive and completely irresponsible in his response.

“She may have been wrong, but you made an unforgettable mistake with your overreactions.

‘With power comes responsibility, but you have power without responsibility.’

Another said: ‘Someone wrote an honest review of a product she used. A power-drunk billionaire decided he would bully his client.

“This madness can only happen in a lawless country like Nigeria.

“Every reasonable Nigerian should cancel Erisco. Don’t buy Nagiko tomatoes and don’t buy Erisco products.’