Erisco witness admits Okoli never told consumers to boycott tomato paste

A prosecution witness on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Chioma Okoli did not explicitly ask the public to stop using Erisco Foods’ tomato paste.

The witness, Nnamdi Nwokolo, a representative of Erisco Foods and the first prosecution witness in the trial, made the statement during cross-examination by Okoli’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.

When asked whether he knew if Okoli had directly instructed others not to purchase the company’s tomato paste, Nwokolo replied in the negative. He added, however, that Okoli’s social media post implied that consumers should avoid the product.

Nwokolo also confirmed that Erisco Foods had alleged in a police petition that Okoli was part of a group involved in circulating fake Erisco tomato paste. He told the court that the company did not recover any counterfeit products from her.

The witness further said he was unaware that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had fined Erisco Foods N1 million over the advertisement of fake tomato paste.

At this point, the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, adjourned the case until January 22 for the continuation of proceedings.

At the last adjourned date, Justice Lifu had urged the parties to consider an out-of-court settlement, noting that the law empowers him to promote reconciliation before adjudication. “I am empowered by Section 17 of the Federal High Court Rules to encourage, facilitate, and promote reconciliation of parties, and it is when all efforts at this fail that we will settle the dispute by law,” he said.

The judge asked Nwokolo why reconciliation had not been achieved. The witness replied that Okoli initially offered an apology but later retracted it.

Adams Ugwuanyi, Prosecution counsel,stated that while settlement could still be explored, the prosecution would continue with the day’s proceedings.

Okoli is facing a two-count charge related to cybercrime. She was sued over a Facebook post shared on September 17, 2023, in which she said she bought Nagiko Tomato Mix from Erisco Foods and found it “utterly sugary.”