Canned tomatoes "too sweet"

Nigerian woman faces imprisonment for Facebook review

Chioma Okoli from Lagos had to go to court over a product review.

(Bild: twitter.com/AmnestyNigeria, Narsil/stock-adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Because she was not satisfied with the quality of a can of canned tomatoes and shared her opinion on Facebook, a Nigerian woman is facing several years in prison in her home country. The producer accuses the 39-year-old of making a "malicious allegation" with the intention of damaging his business.

Chioma Okoli from Lagos was disappointed by the product "Nagiko Tomato Mix" from the manufacturer Erisco Foods Limited. The entrepreneur, who trades in clothing for children, complained on Facebook in September last year that it was "full of sugar". She also advised the company to stop "killing people with their product". In the post, she also asked her 18,000 followers for their opinion on the tomato puree.

Charges could result in up to seven years in prison
A week later, Okoli, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child, was arrested, as reported by CNN: In the police files, she is accused of using her Facebook account "with the intent to incite people against Erisco Foods" - for which she faces three years in prison. According to a second charge, she is said to have incited two other people to share this information: In doing so, she allegedly violated the law against cybercrime. In this case, she faces an even longer sentence of up to seven years in prison.

The organization Amnesty International accuses the company of harassment and intimidation: 

The company also filed a civil lawsuit. Several suppliers dropped out after the reputation-damaging post, and several credit lines were canceled. Damages of five million naira (around 3.3 million euros) are being claimed.

Pregnant woman had to spend the night standing in a cell
Okoli reported that she had been arrested while attending church and then placed in a holding cell with a leaky roof. The pregnant woman did not even have a place to sit and had to stand until the next day, otherwise she would have had to sit on the wet floor. She found comfort in prayer: "I thought about my children who were at home. I talked to myself," said the 39-year-old. 

The woman's lawyer filed a counterclaim
She was released on bail the next day - on the condition, according to her, that she apologize publicly to the company. When she did not comply with this order, she was charged. Her lawyer Inibehe Effiong compared the case to the "battle between David and Goliath". He filed a counter-charge of 500 million naira on the grounds that her right to freedom of expression had been violated.

Here, the company justifies its rigorous action against the mother of many children:

Company remains firm despite protests
The case led to protests in Nigeria outside Erisco Foods' headquarters - a crowdfunding campaign was also launched for Okoli to help with her legal fees. Their supporters called for a boycott of the company's products. The human rights organization Amnesty International Nigeria demanded: "The harassment and intimidation of Chioma Okoli must end now". Despite this public pressure, the company founder refuses to drop the lawsuit. Eric Umeofia told a local television station that he would rather die "than allow someone to tarnish my image that I have worked on for 40 years".