Nigerian Woman Faces Jail Term Over Online Review Of Tomato Puree

 

A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a tomato puree faces a jail term after the manufacturer accused her of malice. Chioma Okoli, 39, has been sued in civil court for allegedly breaking Nigeria’s cybercrime laws.

Reports said that on September 17, Okoli –who imports and sells children’s clothing – asked her 18,000 followers on Facebook to share their opinions about a tomato puree, saying this was the first time she had used it and she found it too sweet. She posted a photo of an opened can of “Nagiko Tomato Mix” a tomato puree made by Erisco Foods, a local company.

Claiming that it lost multiple credit lines because of the Facebook post, the Lagos-based food company sued her and is seeking Sh390 million in damages. Okoli has been charged with disseminating information “knowing to be false under Section 24 (1) (B) of Nigeria’s Cyber Crime Prohibition Act,” and faces up to three years in jail or a fine of Sh670,000 (approx $ 5000) or both if convicted.

Okoli was reportedly arrested by plainclothes police from a church in church in Lagos on September 24, 2023, and flown to the capital Abuja. She was released a day later after agreeing to apologise, but her lawyers say she did it under duress. The police filed their case against Okoli in an Abuja court on October 5. And the first court hearing took place on December 7.

She’s also been separately charged with conspiring with two other individuals to incite people against the company. The crime is punishable under Section 27(1)(B) of the same Act. She risks a seven-year sentence for the offence.

The case has sparked protests by locals in Abuja who said she is persecuted for exercising her right to free speech, and led to a call on social media to boycott Erisco products.