Nigerian woman faces seven years in prison for writing scathing online review of tomato paste
- Chioma Okoli risks a prison sentence of seven years for her views
- She said a can of tomato paste was too sweet
- The company has asked the Nigerian police to arrest her and is suing her for £3 million
A Nigerian woman faces up to seven years in prison for writing a scathing review of a can of tomato paste after the maker accused her of damaging her business.
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.
One commenter said: ‘Stop spoiling my brother’s product. If you don’t like it, use a different copy then take it to social media or call customer service.’
Okoli replied: “Help me advise your brother to stop killing people with his product, yesterday was the first time I used it and it is pure sugar.”
Chioma Okoli (pictured) is facing criminal charges and taken to 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 (photo)
The businesswoman, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child, was arrested by plainclothes officers from the Nigerian National Police in September while she was at church, and told CNN she was forced 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.
Okoli was 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.
The company’s CEO, Eric Umeofia, has come under fire in Nigeria for his threatening behavior towards Okoli
He revealed her address to the nation during an interview about the ongoing legal battle
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.’