By Damilare Adeleye
The Police Force has indicted one Mrs. Chioma Egodi for violating some salient parts of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 over her review of Erisco Tomato over online Facebook post.
On 17 September 2023, Egodi on Facebook, posted the image of the tomato tin which she bought from a store and wrote, “…I decided to taste it. Sugar is just too much.”
Her review of the product did not sit well with Erisco Foods Ltd who later got her arrested for negative review of its product.
Speaking on the development via a statement released on Thursday, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, said there are compelling evidence indicating Mrs. Chioma’s alleged role in the violation of extant laws, particularly those related to the proper use of the cyber space.
He added, “At this juncture, it is imperative to caution members of the public against spreading misinformation and attempting to manipulate public sentiment. The law operates impartially, and any attempt to subvert it will be met with the full force of legal action. The recent developments in the case are deeply worrisome, particularly the use of crowdfunding as a means to influence legal proceedings. Such actions undermine the integrity of the justice system and threaten the principles of fairness and accountability as they are highly inimical to the existence of the rule of law.
“This case in point underscores the necessity of enforcing existing legislation, including the Cybercrime Act, to counteract the current spate of violations of the Act and spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media. It is vital to reaffirm that the Nigeria Police is poised to enforce all laws without fear, favour, or sentiments in its commitment to ensuring justice and transparency for all citizens.
“We therefore advise the suspect to cease the continual jumping bail and turn up in court, as a neutral arbiter, to determine the matter, and allow justice to take its course, while we admonish Nigerians, most especially social media influencers, to resort to embracing the rule of law, and shun all display of sentiments in the case, and in many others as the police will not be deterred by the antics of certain individuals to pervert justice in any way.”