By Halimah Olamide
A legal defence fund has been opened for Mrs. Chioma Edoka Okoli over her review of the Erriso Foods fake tomato paste.
This was made known by Okoli’s lawyer on Wednesday stating that this action will support Chioma by providing the funds to enable the defence of the lawsuit against her from the review she made.
“At the instance of Mrs. Chioma Edoka Okoli and her husband and based on inquiries from members of the public on how they can support Chioma’s cause, we are constrained to launch a Legal Defense Fund campaign to enable us to prosecute and defend the three lawsuits arising from the review made by Chioma on Facebook on the Nagiko Tomato Mix manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited.”
Recall that NPO Reports made reports in September 2023, Chioma claimed she had gone to the market to get tomato paste.
However, when she could not get it, she resorted to one of the company’s products, Nagiko Tomato Mix.
The woman, however, claimed that upon opening the paste, it tasted sugary. She, therefore, asked her social media friends to confirm if they had used the product.
She was later arrested and detained by the IGP Monitoring Unit.
According to Chioma’s lawyer, the fundraising campaign has become imperative given the dimension that the case(s) has assumed.
He stated that the funds would also be used to get a new accommodation for Chioma and her family, given the circumstance of her address being publicized by the CEO of the company.
“Chioma’s current residence is no longer safe for her and her family. She recently became pregnant and also has little children to care for.
“It is important to state that her residential address was publicized in the media by the CEO of Erisco Foods Limited. The siege laid on her house on the 9th of January, 2024 demands that she relocate to a more secure environment.
“Thus, part of the legal defence fund will be used to immediately secure a new accommodation for Chioma and her family.”
There are a number court cases related to this matter.
The first case is Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/470/2023 between the Inspector General of Police and Chioma Edoka Okoli pending in Abuja.
The second case is Suit No: FHC/L/CS/2164 between Chioma Edoka Okoli V. Erisco Foods Limited & 6 Ors. in which we sued Erisco and the police to enforce Chioma’s fundamental rights.
The third case is a civil suit which we have been informed has been filed by Erisco Foods Limited at the Lagos State against Chioma bothering on alleged defamation.
He also noted that whenever a suit is filed by Erisco at the High Court of Lagos, a counterclaim (counter-sue) against the company for their repeated defamatory statements against Chioma shall be filed too.
“They have publicly accused her of belonging to a criminal syndicate and collecting money from competitors to damage Erisco products. These allegations are malicious and false and we intend to ventilate our grievances in court.
“Another line of action that we are exploring is to seek redress over the publication of the residential address of Chioma in the media by the CEO of Erisco, Chief Eric Umeofia. Doxxing is a grave infringement of Chioma’s right to privacy. It is also contrary to the Nigeria Data Protection Act, of 2023.
“We are also considering filing fresh suits against Erisco and the Police over the siege at her residence on 10th January 2023 which lasted for over 10 hours.
“Chioma is a victim of abuse of police powers. The fact that the IGP’s office is directly involved in this oppression makes it more worrisome.”
He has therefore appealed to Nigerians to contribute to the Legal Defence Fund to enable Chioma to urgently secure a new accommodation and defend herself in the different court cases.
“The cost of flights from Lagos to Abuja, coupled with hotel accommodation, for Chioma and her counsel to attend the Abuja case alone is very high. It has already cost us reasonable resources.
“It will cost millions of Naira to relocate Chioma and her family and also take care of the legal expenses. She is not in a position to afford these.
“Despite her financial impediments, we believe that justice is worth pursuing and we intend to fight to a logical conclusion.”