Chioma Okoli: Nigerians blast police over placing of Erisco customer on watchlist

Nigerians have criticized the police over the placing of Mrs. Chioma Okoli, the embattled Erisco tomato paste reviewer, on a watchlist. 

Chronicle NG reports that the police have written to the Controller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, requesting that Mrs. Okoli Chioma Egodi be placed on the watchlist.

The Nigeria Police Force and Erisco Foods Limited are prosecuting Chioma Okoli for posting a review of one of the company’s products on Facebook.

Okoli is being prosecuted over her negative review of Negako Tomato Paste, a product from Erisco Foods Limited.

Amid outcry from well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organizations, including the global human rights body, Amnesty International, demanding an immediate end to the harassment and intimidation of Mrs. Okoli, the police boss, in a letter to the Immigration Controller General, Kemi Nandap, requested that she be placed on watchlist and denied exit out of the country.

Reacting to the news, a social media influencer, Ola Mi Lekan, questioned the interest of the police in the case.

“What is the police interest in this case?
Is Erisco related to  the IGP or is he the one buying arms for the police?” Lekan asked.

Egemba Onyi, in his reaction, accused Erisco Food CEO, Chief Eric Umeofia, of bribing the Nigerian police.

“His money is talking! He knows how to bribe the police and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Onyi mentioned.

Eduardo Uchenna also accused the police of bribery when he said, “When the overly corrupt criminal police take too much bribe from their clients, they begin to misbehave. Very shameful!”

Alleging that corruption is the order of the day in Nigeria, Ogbehiegu Akhide condemned the continuous prosecution of Mrs. Okoli.

“When we say corruption is the norm in Nigeria, this is what we mean. What is the IGP’s interest in this matter? How does a product review become a criminal activity? Those running Nigeria stinks,” Akhide wrote.

For Idara Essang, she mentioned, “What a cringe-worthy, disgraceful abuse of the law. What kind of vagabonds do they give jobs to as policemen? It’s a breach of law to arrest people for a product review, and the police and @EriscoOfficial would be sued. Such a bad reflection on the culture.

“Nigerian police are so shameless. You charged Chioma to court, and while the matter is pending, you wrote immigration that you are still investigating a matter that is before the court already. @InibeheEffiong should file a matter immediately to stop immigration from implementing this,” SC Chukwu wrote.

“The persecution of Chioma for reviewing tomatoes continues. @PoliceNG knows the letter to Immigration is needless. Chioma sued the police and Erisco. The police have already charged her in court, so what is the need for this needless letter to Immigration?” Chukwu added.

Another X user identified as Monnyx notes that “the problem is not with Erisco; it is with the Nigerian Police that has become a willing tool for oppression because of the crumbs they’ve given them.

“Why is it that the police are always after soft targets? How can one man is making the Nigerian police unit unprofessional?”