Chioma Egodi, a Nigerian woman, has been released after being arrested by Erisco Foods following her online criticism of the excessive sugar content in the company’s Nagiko Tomato Mix.

The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many users expressing concerns about freedom of speech and the role of customer reviews in influencing product choices.

Egodi took to her social media platform recently to share her disappointing experience with the Nagiko tomato mix.

In her post, she expressed her frustration at not finding her preferred tomato brands, Gino and Sonia, and decided to give Nagiko a try. However, upon opening the tin, Egodi noticed an overwhelming amount of sugar, prompting her to question its quality and seek feedback from others who had used the product before.

Little did she know that her post would catch the attention of Erisco Foods, who responded by swiftly arresting Egodi for her negative review.

The move drew a wave of backlash from social media users, who accused the company of suppressing freedom of speech and attempting to silence customers’ legitimate concerns.

Outraged netizens rallied behind Egodi, with her post gaining traction and sparking a broader discussion on the quality control measures employed by food manufacturers.

Many argued that customers have the right to voice their opinions and advocated for the widespread boycott of the product.

However, in a post by a popular online investigative journalist, PIDOMNIGERIA, it was confirmed that Egodi has regained her freedom.

“Following the online bashing, boycott and negative publicity of Erisco foods Ltd @EriscoFoodsLtd, i can confirm to you all that Miss CHIOMA EGODI whom the company arrested over her harmless review of their NAGIKO tin tomatoes on Facebook, has been released unconditionally today,” it wrote.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Erisco Food, had earlier opened up on why Egoji, was arrested.

Addressing social media claims, Erisco Food released a statement, tagging the claims “untrue.”

The statement also claimed that Egodi’s post was “obviously intended to mislead our esteemed customers and discredit the image of Erisco Foods Limited, as previously instigated by some elements and syndicates who are uncomfortable with our increasing market dominance as a leading indigenous manufacturer of tomato pastes.

“Considering, however, that Erisco Foods Limited has built a reputation as a credible organisation committed to due process and the good of humanity, we have decided to bring the said publication to the attention of relevant authorities.

“In light of the above, we wish to reiterate that Erisco Foods Limited is solely committed to the production of healthy tomato products, including other products that have the full regulatory stamp and approval of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and Standard Organisation of Nigeria.

“While we recognise the rights of our consumers to make genuine observations about our products, we want to thank our esteemed customers for their continued patronage of Erisco Foods Limited.

“However, having built our reputation on healthy and quality products which have earned us both local and international awards, including the National Productivity Order of Merit Award, we will take all necessary actions against any malicious attack on our reputation.”

In an exclusive interview with an online newspaper, the spokesperson for Erisco Food, Nnamdi Nwokolo, confirmed that the company wrote a petition to the police to investigate the claims.

He said, “The allegations were grave, so we petitioned the police to investigate the matter. So if the police find criminal defamation against Chioma Egodi and then arrest her, is it a crime that we sought the law?”

A copy of the petition obtained by our correspondent, dated September 19, 2023, and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police was titled, “Complaint of criminal conspiracy, the marketing and blackmail of killing people with our product against an organised syndicate faking our products after failing to extort money from us and cyberbullying.”

The petition read, “We write to seek your urgent intervention in stopping an organised criminal syndicate that has been faking our products as well as posting false and unsubstantiated information that cannot be proven against our products both online and offline, with a view to close down our operations so as to give advantage to their cohorts, including greedy manufacturers and importers of substandard products into the country.”

On how the issue started, Nwokolo said, “She made a post on social media, a review. Further engagement under that review showed that it wasn’t an honest review. It showed that there was an attempt to bring down the product.

“Someone in her comment section asked her why she did the review, and she responded by saying that person should go talk to her brother (Erisco Food) to stop killing people.

“She made so many allegations, and attempts to get her to share more details about the product failed. So many people in her comment section asked her to share these details: production date, among other details, were requested, but she refused to provide them.”

When asked if the company had contacted Egodi at any point, Nwokolo said, “Personally, no.

“We released a statement and tagged her in it saying these allegations are grave, and we will take further steps to get to the root of things,” Nwokolo said.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.