The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order the stop of the continuous harassment and intimidation of Mrs. Chioma Okoli.
Mrs. Okoli, a pregnant woman, is being prosecuted for making negative reviews about Erisco tomato paste.
Mrs. Okoli was arrested around 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. She was previously arrested and detained in September 2023 over her review of a tomato product manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited.
Mrs. Okoli, on September 17, 2023, made a post on her Facebook page, highlighting the high sugar content in the tomato mix and inviting her followers who might have used the same product to share their opinions. Her post reads:
“I went to buy tin tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew. I didn’t see Gino and Sonia, so I decided to buy this one (Nagiko). When I opened it, Omo! I decided to taste it. Sugar is just too much. Haa biko (please) let me know if you have used this tin tomato before because this is like an ike gwuru (tiring) situation.”
The rearrest and continuous detention of Mrs. Okoli has caused a national outcry, with many calling for the boycott of all products of Erisco Foods Limited.
Reacting to the detaining of the pregnant woman, SERAP, in a statement on its X page on Wednesday, noted that “freedom of expression is a fundamental right.”
The rights group therefore called on Tinubu to bring to order the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun over the continuous harassment of Mrs. Okoli.
The body also urged Tinubu to order her immediate release from police detention.
SERAP‘s statement reads, “We urge President Tinubu to urgently direct the Inspector General of Police to immediately end the intimidation and harassment of Chioma Egodi over a review of tomato paste on social media. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
