Pregnant Nigerian woman's online review of tomato puree lands her in jail; here's why

It’s common to offer reviews after using a new product, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. A Nigerian woman followed this routine after purchasing a tin of tomato puree she didn’t enjoy. However, she now finds herself incarcerated as a consequence of her review.

Wondering why?

Chioma Okoli, a 39-year-old Nigerian woman pregnant with her fourth child, on September 17 shared a post on her Facebook account with 18,000 followers reviewing tomato puree substitute - Ericso’s ‘Nagiko Tomato Mix’ - that she had recently purchased

She even shared a picture of an opened can of the product.

‘Sugar is just too much’

In her review, the businesswoman from Lagos said she tasted it and found it to be too sweet, writing, “Sugar is just too much!”

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She is now charged with conspiring to instigate public criticism against Erisco Foods. She faces potential imprisonment with the most severe charge leading to a seven-year prison sentence, and civil lawsuits over her comments.

What did she say?

“I went to buy Tin tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew, I didn’t see Gino and Sonia, so I decided to buy this one. When I opened it, I decided to taste it omo! Sugar is just too much!” she said.

She even sought opinions from people on her Facebook about a better tomato puree.

Her post sparked varied reactions from social media users with one replying: “Stop spoiling my brother’s product. If (you) don’t like it, use another one than bring it to social media or call the customer service.”

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Responding to it, she said: “Help me advise your brother to stop ki***ing people with his product, yesterday was my first time of using and it’s pure sugar.”

A week later, on September 24, she was arrested.

Treatment she met in prison

“I was put in the cell around 6 pm (on September 24). There were no seats, so I stood all through till the next day. My legs were inside the water (that came in from the leaking roof). Sometimes, I squatted to reduce the pressure on my legs. I was thinking about my children who were at home. I was talking to myself. I would think, I would pray, I was messed up,” the CNN report quoted Okoli as saying.

On September 25, Okoli was flown to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and held at a police station until her release on administrative bail was finalised a day later.

In a statement on March 7, police claimed their preliminary investigation yielded “compelling evidence” against her.

Charges against her

Reacting to Okoli’s post, Erisco Foods Ltd said it had come across a Facebook post by one Chioma Egodi Jnr on September 17, 2023, alleging that Nagiko Tomato Mix, one of the three tomato paste variants of Erisco Foods Limited, contains an unhealthy amount of sugar and therefore not fit for human consumption."

“We will take all necessary actions against any malicious attack on our reputation.”

Okoli is being prosecuted and sued in civil court for allegedly breaching the country’s cybercrime laws.

She was charged with “instigating Erisco Foods Limited, knowing the said information to be false under Section 24 (1) (B) of Nigeria’s Cyber Crime Prohibition Act.”

If found guilty, she could face up to three years in jail or a fine of 7 million naira (around $5,000), or both.

She was separately charged with conspiring with two other individuals “with the intention of instigating people against Erisco Foods Limited,” which the charge sheet noted was punishable under Section 27(1)(B) of the same act. She risks a seven-year sentence if convicted of this charge.

The case has gripped the West African nation and sparked protests by locals who believe she is being persecuted for exercising her right to free speech.

Okoli is also being sued in a separate civil case filed by Erisco, which in a statement issued on January 19 said it was defending its reputation after her comments “resulted in several suppliers deciding to disassociate themselves from us.”

A report by CNN quoted Okoli’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, saying the food company informed that it also “suffered the loss of multiple credit lines” and had therefore filed a civil lawsuit against Okoli that sought 5 billion naira (more than $3 million) in damages. This case is due to be heard on May 20.