The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned to January 22, 2026, the trial arising from a petition by the Office of the Inspector-General of Police against Chioma Okoli, following a social media post about a product made by Erisco Foods Limited.
Okoli is being prosecuted by the Office of the Inspector General of Police over a Facebook review in which she expressed concern about the sugar content of an Erisco tomato paste she purchased.
The company later petitioned the police, alleging that the post was part of a coordinated attempt to damage its brand.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, prosecution witness Nnamdi Nwokolo was cross-examined by defence counsel Inibehe Effiong after adopting his earlier statement on oath.
Under questioning, the witness conceded that Okoli did not initially claim the product was harmful to consumers, but made such remarks while responding to another user’s comment on Facebook.
He also admitted that Erisco Foods did not reach out to Okoli privately before escalating the matter, opting instead to publicly tag her account and demand that the post be removed.
Nwokolo further acknowledged that sugar is listed among the ingredients of the tomato paste in question, though he said the exact quantity was not stated on the product label.
On allegations contained in the company’s petition, the witness told the court he could not identify anyone who allegedly sent death threats to Erisco Foods’ chairman, Eric Umeofia, after the Facebook post.
He also said he could not immediately recall claims that Okoli was paid by competitors to discredit the company, stating he would need to review the petition to confirm.
The court also heard that no counterfeit Erisco product was found on Okoli at the time of her arrest.
Following the completion of cross-examination, the trial judge adjourned the case to January 22, 2026, for the prosecution to present its next witness.
( Editor: Ada Ononye)
