Lady Jailed for Negative Review of Erisco Foods Product

Chioma Egodi and Erisco saga

A court remands a woman over an internet critique of a product made by Erisco Foods, a Nigerian tomato paste manufacturer.

The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has remanded Chioma Egodi to the Suleja Correctional Centre till Friday, May 31, in relation to her online criticism of Erisco Foods Limited's tomato paste.

Her remarks are allegedly in violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act, according to the police.

She was charged with two counts of cybercrime on Tuesday, May 28, at her arraignment before Justice Peter Lifu by the Inspector General of Police.

Despite her not guilty pleas to all counts, Justice Lifu ruled that she would remain on remand until Friday, May 2, when the decision about her bail application would be made.

Earlier, Inibehe Effong, the defense attorney, filed a bail application. The prosecution's attorney, Abdulrashid Sidi, requested the court to deny the request.

Sidi had raised objections to the bail application, claiming that there was a chance the defendant would breach her bail given her background and prior offenses.

Specifically, the prosecution told the court that the defendant had refused to follow the terms of his administrative bail and was likely to skip bail.

Effiong, the defense attorney, had tried to get his client released by bringing up her health issues with the judge.

According to Effiong, who presented a medical certificate to support his claims, his client miscarried due to the psychological shock of

Specifically, the prosecution told the court that the defendant had refused to follow the terms of his administrative bail and was likely to skip bail.

Effiong, the defense attorney, had tried to get his client released by bringing up her health issues with the judge.

Effiong claimed that his client had miscarried due to the psychological trauma of the case, and he presented a medical report to support his claims.

Nonetheless, the prisoner was remanded to the Suleja Correctional Center by Judge Lifu, who was unable to rule on the bail application.

Remember how the Police had said that preliminary inquiries had produced substantial evidence pointing to Chioma's involvement in breaking the law, particularly with regard to proper usage of internet.

Egodi wrote on Facebook on September 17, 2023, that she had bought Nagiko Tomato Mix from Erisco Foods the day before and thought it was too sweet.

She said that although Gino and Sonia were out of stock, she usually purchased those brands.

Her article sparked debate and compelled the company's management to contact the police by submitting a petition to Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) confirmed Eriscofoods' Nagiko Tomato Mix registration in 2021 as a result of this and additional evaluation of the product's registration.