Court Documents Show Nigerian Police Yet To Serve Erisco Female Customer, Chioma With Charge Against Her On Product Review

 

 

 

Court documents obtained by SaharaReporters have shown that the Nigeria Police have not served Chioma Okoli, a female customer of Erisco Foods Limited with the charge filed against her on the Erisco Foods product review case.

In September 2023, SaharaReporters reported how facts emerged on how Erisco Foods Limited allegedly used operatives of the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and intimidate Okoli over her review of the company’s product on Facebook.

 

In November 2023, SaharaReporters also reported that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State restrained the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the head of IGP Monitoring Unit, DCP Adamu Elleman, Nigeria Police Force, Erisco Foods Limited and its President/CEO, Eric Umeofia, from re-arresting and detaining Okoli.

 

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi had also claimed that Okoli jumped bail and was running away from the case. 

However, court documents obtained by SaharaReporters had shown that the police were yet to serve Okoli with the charge filed against her. 

Also, Okoli’s lead counsel, Inibehe Effiong told SaharaReporters on Thursday that as at the last court sitting which was on February 29, 2024, the police were yet to serve Okoli with the charge filed against her on the case.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Force PRO, Adejobi in a statement on Thursday, reaffirmed the commitment of the police to “upholding the rule of law in the Erisco Tomato matter”.

Adejobi said that it was imperative to caution members of the public against spreading misinformation and attempting to manipulate public sentiments.

He said the recent developments in the case are deeply worrisome, particularly the use of crowdfunding as a means to influence legal proceedings, adding that such actions undermine the integrity of the justice system and threaten the principles of fairness and accountability as they are highly inimical to the existence of the rule of law.

Adejobi, who admonished Nigerians, most especially social media influencers, to resort to embracing the rule of law, and shun all displays of sentiments in the case, said that the police would not be deterred by the antics of certain individuals to pervert justice in any way.