Despite a subsisting court order, the Nigeria Police, on Tuesday, in utter disregard for the law, made a failed attempt to re-arrest nursing mother and one-time customer of Erisco foods, Chioma Okoli.
After a 10-hour siege on her Sangotedo residence in the Ajah area of Lagos, amid intense altercations, the police team from Abuja, allegedly acting on the order of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), vacated Mrs Okoli’s abode.
Mrs Okoli had in September last year drawn the ire of the Chairman and Founder of Erisco Foods Limited, Eric Umeofia, over her review of a tomato product, Nagiko tomato mix, manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited, Lagos.
Human Rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who is lead counsel to Mrs Okoli, in a lengthy post on a microblogging platform, X, on Tuesday morning, disclosed that his client’s residence was invaded by men of the Nigerian Police reportedly on the order of the Inspector General of Police at 7:00 a.m.
“A team of policemen from Abuja who claim to be acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police to re-arrest my client refused to serve us with a court order authorising them to do so. The team from Abuja is being supported by policemen from the Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah.
“The team leader told me over the phone that he is a DSP and that he has four ASPs with him and other police officers. He also told me that the PSO to the IGP spoke with him directly, and that he cannot disobey the order of the IGP despite the court order barring the police from re-arresting my client,“ Mr Effiong stated in the post.
He described the attempted re-arrest of his client as a “reckless act of impunity.”
Mr Effiong stressed that it was against the law for the Nigeria Police to disregard a subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Lagos, restraining the IGP and the Nigeria Police Force from arresting, re-arresting or detaining Mrs Okoli, except on the express order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
The lawyer further noted that the Police, in an attempt to obscure justice, filed a charge against Mrs Okoli at a Federal High Court in Abuja instead of Lagos, which is the original location of the case.
“The charge is pending before Justice A. R. Mohammed. I later got wind of their plot after a tip-off. When the case, filed by the police in Abuja, came up on 7 December 2023, the police counsel informed the court that they were unable to serve my client with the charge (this is not accurate as no attempt was made in this regard),” he added.
According to Mr Effiong, Justice Mohammed granted the application and adjourned the case to Wednesday, 10 January 2024, for hearing of the motion.
A routine product review turns sour
Trouble began for Mrs Okoli in September 2023, after she posted an unfavourable review of a tomato paste manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Mrs Okoli claimed that the paste, Nagiko tomato mix, tasted sugary.
ALSO READ: Police release woman arrested over social media comment on tomato paste
Disgruntled by the critical review, the Lagos-based manufacturing company refuted the claim and subsequently instigated the arrest of Mrs Okoli by the Nigeria Police.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Erisco Foods Limited, in a statement, insisted that “the post was obviously intended to mislead our esteemed customers and discredit the image of Erisco Foods Limited,”
Face-off lasts for 10 hours – Lawyer
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs Okoli’s lawyer, Effiong, disclosed to this reporter that the Police laid siege on the residence of his client for about 10 hours. He explained that the officers eventually left after his post on X attracted public outcry.
“I can confirm to you that the siege on my client’s residence has now ended after over 10 hours. I want to assume that the public reaction and the condemnation that has trailed what is clearly an illegal action by the IGP may have had a bearing on the decision of the police to vacate her home. My client is not running away from whatever case they may have against her, we are very much ready to face them in court. but let them follow due process. That is all we are asking for,” Mr. Effiong said.
Asked what comes next, Mr. Effiong explained that he will be at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday to represent his client.
He, however, insisted that without a charge, it is unlawful for the Police to re-arrest his client.
“The case is coming up tomorrow before Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja and what the case is coming up for essentially is for the Police to move a motion or make an application to get an order to serve my client by substituted means.
“As I speak with you, they have not served her the charge. So, what are they doing in her residence when there is another order of the Federal High Court in Lagos that she should not be re-arrested except by order of the court, if she is served and fails to appear,” the lawyer added.
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