By Abubakar Yunusa
Chioma Okoli, the Facebook user who has been embroiled in a legal battle since 2023, when she reviewed the Nagiko Tomato Mix, a product of Erisco Foods Limited, has suffered a pregnancy loss.
Effiong Inibehe, Okoli’s legal representative, confirmed this on Wednesday via a post on his X page, noting that the Federal High Court in Abuja remanded her in Suleja Custodial Centre on Tuesday.
“I can confirm that Chioma Okoli suffered a miscarriage and lost her pregnancy. I made this disclosure to the Honourable Court during yesterday’s proceedings and it was reported by pressmen who were in the court,” the lawyer wrote.
“Prior to yesterday, we decided to keep this information private and to only disclose it in the court. I am only stating this here due to the fact that the Court is already aware of it and many people are asking for confirmation. The evidence of the miscarriage is before the Court. [It] is not for the media.
“I can also confirm that she was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday on a two count-charge of alleged “cyberstalking” to which she pleaded not guilty.
“Chioma was remanded in Suleja Custodial Centre (Suleja prison) pending a ruling on her bail application fixed for Friday, May 31, 2024. Please, those asking me questions about her case and her current condition should understand that there is a limit to what I can publicly say at this time. History will vindicate the just.”
Okoli’s ordeal began in September 2023, when she posted on Facebook that Erisco Foods’s Nagiko Tomato paste was sugary and subsequently asked those who had used the tomato puree to share their experiences.
In response to a Facebook user who asked her to “stop spoiling my brother [sic] product”, Chioma reportedly wrote, “Help me advise your brother to stop ki**ing people with his product; yesterday was my first time using it, and it’s pure sugar. Tueh!,”
Acting on a criminal petition written against her by Eric Umeofia, the owner of the company, the police arrested Chioma in Lagos and immediately flew her to Abuja. She was then taken to court, where she was charged with cybercrime.
