THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said it had summoned Erisco Foods Limited over the arrest of a customer, Chioma Egodi Jnr.
The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, disclosed this on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, September 25.
Irukera tweeted, “Update: @fccpcnigeria operatives have confirmed arrest & transfer of the case to Abuja by the Police Force. She was no longer at the station on arrival. Working to determine exact current location & engaging Force HQ in Abuja. Summons being issued to @EriscoFoodsLtd.”
Erisco Foods is an indigenous company manufacturing tomato paste, seasoning, rice, milk cubes and more.
Egodi posted her review of the Nagiko Tomato Mix, one of the three tomato pastes of the company’s products, on her Facebook page.
The review seems not to have gone down well with Erisco Foods, resulting in her arrest.
According to the post, on September 17, Egodi posted that she purchased a tin of Nagiko Tomato paste and discovered the product contained “too much’ sugar.
On September 18, she further posted that the company was attacking her for allegedly de-marketing their product.
In a swift reaction, Erisco Foods faulted the claim that the Nagiko Tomato product contained an unhealthy amount of sugar and, therefore, was not fit for human consumption.
It tagged Egodi’s product review as “untrue and unfounded” and determined to take all necessary action against its brand.
“Our initial reaction was to ignore and disregard the post, which was obviously intended to mislead our esteemed customers and discredit the image of Erisco Foods Limited, as previously instigated by some elements and indigenous manufacturer of 100% natural tomato paste.
“Considering, however, that Erisco Foods Limited has built a reputation as a credible organization committed to due process and the good of humanity, we have decided to bring the said publication to the attention of relevant authorities,” the statement read in part.
Egodi’s arrest had attracted many comments on the post, questioning the rationale behind her arrest.
An X user named Arya Stark is OBIdient, commented, “This is one of the things we enjoy in abroad. Or will request a review after purchase; if you’re not satisfied, they mostly refund your money with an apology. In Nigeria everything na intimidation, just know couple of politicians.”
Another X User, Maestro, condemned the arrest.
“One would think that this was an easy fix case, but then, Chioma, a consumer the same day, has been moved to Abuja for an honest review about a product. I heard she is a nursing mother. The police as an institution form part of the core of citizens’ perception,” Maestro tweeted.
When filing this report, the post has generated over 365,000 views, 1600 reposts, 1400 likes and 300 comments.