(UPDATE) ERISCO FOODS SAGA: COURT GRANTS CHIOMA OKOLI N5 MILLION BAIL

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Chioma Okoli was given ₦5 million in bail with two sureties in the same amount by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The allegations against Okoli stemmed from the remarks she made online about tomato paste made by Erisco Foods Limited.

Justice Lifu admitted her to bond but stipulated that one of the sureties had to be a blood relative or the defendant’s spouse who lived within the court’s jurisdiction and had a varied source of income.

In addition to directing the defendant to present her foreign passport, if any, the judge also ordered the sureties to deposit passport photos for each of them.

Judge Lifu accepted the lawyer’s contention that Okoli was charged with a crime that qualified for bail.

Justice Lifu further held that pursuant to Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The judge added that denying her bail is a wrong application of discretion which will amount to a pre-trial judgment and judicial rascality.

He equally based the ruling on the health status of Okoli.

He adjourned the matter until June 13 for further hearing.

Okoli is being charged over her online commentary on Erisco Foods Limited’s tomato paste which the police alleged violated the Cybercrime Act, 2015.

She was arraigned before Justice Lifu by the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police on a two-count charge bordering on cyber crime.

She pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

The police had in September 2023 arrested Mrs Okoli over claim in a review that a tomato paste she bought in a market tasted sugary.

The paste which she referred to in her review is the Nagiko tomato mix, which is manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited, Lagos.

She made her review in a post on her Facebook page “Chioma Egodi Jnr” on 17 September, 2023.

A few days after Okoli’s post, police operatives arrested her in Lagos and flew her to Abuja for interrogation following a complaint by Erisco Foods Limited.

Erisco Foods Limited had in statement described Okoli’s claim that the Nagiko tomato paste tastes sugary as “untrue and unfounded.”