*Cross-sections of Nigerian consumers, including human rights lawyers, have condemned the manner Erisco Foods Limited urged the Police to arrest certain Chioma Okoli for relating her brand experience using Nagiko Tomato Mix of the company, as the threaten to boycott the food company’s products

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The reactionary move by the Management of Erisco Foods Limited, Lagos, to ask the Police to arrest a female consumer of the company’s product over her social media comments on her brand experience has continued to generate outrage and unsavoury comments from both a legal practitioner and several other Nigerian consumers online and offline

绿帽献妻 reports certain Ms. Chioma Okoli, September 17, 2023, had given a review and testimony of her own experience of Nagiko Tomato Mix said to be one of the three tomato paste variants of the company on Facebook.

Erisco Foods Limited manufactures Nagiko Tomato mix, and other Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) in Lagos State.

Police reportedly arrested Okoli for commenting on her brand experience with Erisco Foods’ tomato paste she had used her hard-earned money to purchase for consumption in the first place.

Okoli, who her Facebook profile suggests she hails from Nnewi, in Anambra State, South-East Nigeria, resides in Lagos State, South-West region in the country.

She equally goes by the name “Chioma Egodi Jnr” on the leading social media platform, also posted the image of the affected tomato tin product, which she stated she earlier bought from a store a day earlier.

Okoli relates her experience with Nagiko Tomato paste

Okoli disclosed that she had gone to the market September 16 with the intention of buying Gino or Sonia brand of tomato paste but could not find them around.

However, she later bought the Nagiko Tomato mix of Erisco Foods, which she had planned to use in making stew.

In terms of her consumer experience of the product, the tomato paste contains an unhealthy amount of sugar, and therefore, not fit for human consumption.

The consumer further related her brand experience and wrote on her Facebook page: “I decided to taste it. Sugar is just too much.

鈥淲hen I opened it, I decided to taste it, Omo! Sugar is just too much!

When I opened it, I decided to taste it omo! Sugar is just too much! “Haaa biko let me know if you have used this Tin tomato before because this is an ike gwuru situation!鈥�

Okoli, in her post, as well urged other Facebook users to confirm if they had used the product before, apparently to ascertain if they had a similar experience with the product.

Netizens’ reactions to Erisco Foods’ action against arrested consumer

The reported action by Erisco Foods has been widely condemned by the netizens as many of them called for “a boycott of the product”.

Some of the reactions from other consumers via X, formerly known as Twitter are as follows:

@daddykdz said, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 wrong with @PoliceNG and the Nigerian state in general? How do you arrest someone for product review?

“If anything, it鈥檚 a civil matter that should be settled in a civil court. What鈥檚 the arrest for? Transferred to Abuja? What a joke!鈥�

@harrisosenum also wrote, 鈥淭hey say school is a scam. But a simple response to a customer鈥檚 observation of a particular product, they bungled. How hard or is it rocket science to respond professionally to a customer鈥檚 observation of your product?鈥�

鈥淓xactly, but the CEO wan show say na him get Nigeria.” @emmaoghenemaga reacted this way: 鈥淗eck, no one even knows about the product.

“This was an opportunity to cause a little social media buzz around his product, but, no, the ‘do you know who I am鈥� syndrome is what he cares about.”

‘Erisco Foods Ltd lost a great opportunity to market their products’ -Consumers

Another netizen wrote:

鈥淍EriscoFoodsLtd lost a great opportunity to market their products. Very poor handling of this issue has already messed the company up. I just discard the remains of their product in my kitchen,鈥� @Funcaliphate said.

“@EriscoFoodsLtd, this is anti-consumer. No one should ever buy their products again.

鈥淣ow @EriscoFoodsLtd has drenched its image further in the sewage. I am checking the name of that product! When I see it I remember Chioma,鈥� wrote @myke_destiny.

鈥淣ever mind, this is the beginning of the end of that product.”

Likewise, @captainblack03 reacted thus: 鈥淣igerians are not to be joked with. We are in this together.

“Shebi Una get time and money for legal war, let the battle continue and see where the brand stands by the end of the year.鈥�

Lawyer to Erisco: ‘You acted viciously and irresponsibly’

Also reacting to the reported arrest of the Nigerian female consumer by Police, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer, has condemned the harassment of Chioma Okoli over her brand experience with Erisco Foods product.

Effiong, among other Nigerians, condemned the company for allegedly 鈥渋nstigating鈥� the Police to arrest and detain the customer for her negative review of their product, according to report.

The human rights lawyer in a post via his X handle Monday, September 25, said the company鈥檚 Management 鈥渁cted viciously and irresponsibly鈥�.

The legal professional also stressed that Erisco Foods Limited ought to have issued a public statement, or even reached out to the woman to understand her view and explain their position if they disagreed with her review posted on her Facebook page.

As done other digital consumers have commented on the company’s approach to crisis communication, the lawyer also stated: “That would have earned the company and the brand more patronage.”

Effiong criticised the Police over the arrest, and said it was unfortunate that the Police had 鈥渞efused to reform itself” in Nigeria.

According to the rights lawyer, it is upsetting that 鈥渁ny charlatan鈥� in the country can easily weaponise the Police, whom he said have continued to criminalise civil disputes in the country.

He averred: “We cannot continue like this.”

Kindly Share This Story