Nigerian police have released a woman who was arrested for claiming that the tomato paste she bought at a market tasted sweet. The paste, called Nagiko tomato mix, is made by Erisco Foods Limited in Lagos.
The woman, Chioma Okoli, made the comment in a post on his Facebook page on September 17.
Her name is Chioma Egodi Jnr on Facebook.
The comment on social networks.
In the post seen by Newslodge, Okoli said he had gone to the market on September 16 with the intention of buying Gino or Sonia brand tomato paste but could not find them.
He said he later bought Nagiko tomato mix that he had planned to use to make stew.
“When I opened it, I decided to try it, Omo! Sugar is too much! she wrote.
In the post, he urged other Facebook users to confirm whether they had used the product before, apparently to determine if they had had similar experiences.
Newslodge reported that Ms Okoli was arrested on Sunday by police officers in Lagos State, southwestern Nigeria, and taken to Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Mrs Okoli’s arrest was instigated by tomato paste manufacturer, Erisco Foods Limited, who accused her of intentionally publishing the post “to mislead our esteemed customers and discredit” the company’s image.
Release from police detention
The Director General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera, announced on Tuesday that Mrs Okoli had been released on bail by the police.
“Additional update: Ms Chioma has been released on bail. Mutual commitments from both parties to the police,” Irukera wrote in his X handle.
He said that although the FCCPC was not a party to the commitments, the commission would continue its investigation into the incident.
“Grateful for the restoration of Ms. Egodi’s freedom, but determined to ensure that we never go down this path again,” the FCCPC chief wrote in another post on the microblogging site, minutes later.
“Crime in commerce is an exception. “Our society cannot bear the threat or fear that righteous speech, when appropriate, could become the subject of law enforcement,” he added.
Indignation
After Okoli’s arrest became public on Monday, Nigerians criticized the company and the police for their action.
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, in a publication via her X handle on Monday, said the company’s management “acted callously and irresponsibly.”
Effiong emphasized that the company should have issued a public statement or even contacted the woman to understand her point of view and explain its position if they disagreed with her review.
“That would have earned the company and the brand more sponsorship,” he said.
The lawyer criticized the police for the arrest and said it was regrettable that the police had “refused to reform”.
He said it is worrying that “any charlatan” in the country can easily weaponize the police, who he said has continued to criminalize civil disputes in the country.
“We can’t continue like this,” he said.
Also, Amnesty International NigeriaEarlier on Tuesday, he demanded the “immediate” release of Ms Okoli, maintaining that “no one should be arrested simply for exercising their freedom of expression.”
In a series of publications about his X handle, The group called on Nigerian authorities to release her “immediately and unconditionally.”
“The arrest of Chioma Egodi demonstrates that, despite authorities paying lip service to police reforms, impunity for illegal arrests remains rampant,” he said.