Erisco Foods trial: Police withdraw “evidence” against Chioma Okoli

Erisco Foods trial: Police withdraw “evidence” against Chioma Okoli

There was a dramatic twist at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, as the Nigeria Police Force failed to present admissible evidence against Mrs. Chioma Edoka Okoli, a Nigerian mother facing cyberstalking charges over her social media review of Nagiko Tomato Mix, a product manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited.

The case, filed in 2023 by the Inspector-General of Police, came up before Justice Peter Lifu, who once again urged both parties to consider an out-of-court settlement in line with Section 17 of the Federal High Court Act.

Justice Lifu stated that he was “only acting as the conscience of the nation” by encouraging alternative dispute resolution but affirmed readiness to proceed with full hearing if settlement efforts failed.

Police counsel, A. S. Uguwanyi, told the court that it was the defendant’s responsibility to initiate settlement. However, Erisco Foods’ representative, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokolo, who also serves as Personal Assistant on Operations to the company’s CEO, Chief Eric Umeofia, said the company would only consider withdrawing the case if the defendant issued another apology.

Lead defence counsel and human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, countered the position, informing the court that several prominent Nigerians had intervened in efforts to resolve the matter, but Erisco Foods had rejected all peaceful overtures.

Effiong added that the case had persisted because the CEO of Erisco Foods had publicly vowed not to abandon the matter, even declaring on national television that he would rather die than drop the charges.

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Following submissions from both sides, Justice Lifu directed Nwokolo, the first prosecution witness, to take the stand.

In his testimony, Nwokolo said he was alerted in September 2023 to Chioma’s Facebook post, which criticised the sugar content in Nagiko Tomato Mix. He said the post went viral and triggered protests by women’s groups and a nationwide boycott campaign against the company.

He added that Erisco’s Chinese suppliers expressed concern over the backlash, and that the company’s fortunes had suffered irreparable damage.

The prosecution attempted to tender several documents, including the petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Chioma’s Facebook post, emails from Chinese partners, a NAFDAC publication, protest photographs, a demand notice, and a letter of apology allegedly written by the defendant.

Effiong objected, citing Sections 84 and 104 of the Evidence Act, 2011, and argued that the documents were either electronically generated without proper certification or public documents not duly certified. He referenced the case of Kubur v. Dickson (2013) to support his argument.

He further noted that the certificate of compliance submitted by the police lacked relevant details and that the documents were certified by a former prosecutor who did not have custody of the originals. He pointed out that none of the documents bore the seal of the Inspector-General of Police or any police department, and that the prosecutor merely wrote “certified true copy” by hand.

Faced with the objections, the police prosecutor withdrew all the documents and requested an adjournment to reorganise his case. Effiong opposed the request, arguing that no cogent reason had been provided and asked the court to award ₦500,000 in costs for wasting the defence’s time.

Justice Lifu agreed that the prosecution had wasted the court’s time and noted the absence of a substantial reason for adjournment. The police counsel, appearing overwhelmed, opted to close the evidence-in-chief of the first witness without tendering any document.

Effiong did not object and expressed readiness to proceed with cross-examination.

Justice Lifu adjourned the matter to January 21 and 22, 2026, for cross-examination and directed the police to ensure the presence of their remaining witnesses on the scheduled dates.

Erisco Foods trial: Police withdraw “evidence” against Chioma Okoli