Chioma Okoli: Erisco Boss, Umeofia Must Prove ‘Fake Lawyer’ Claim

A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has threatened to sue Chief Executive Officer of Erisco Foods Limited, Chief Eric Umeofia.

This followed allegations by Umeofia that Chioma Okoli hired a fake lawyer to represent her.

Effiong has now given Erisco boss 14 days to retract and apologise to him for the alleged defamatory statement against his person.

He was reported to have issued a statement on Monday, indicating his counsel, Femi Falana, has served Umeofia and his company a pre action notice, demanding N100 million in damages with an apology letter which must be published in two national newspapers.

The legal expert is also insisting that his demands must be complied with within the 14 days or he would commence legal case against the Erisco boss.

According to Effiong, Umeofia had allegedly, during an interview with Television Continental (TVC) on October 2, 2023, while speaking on the ongoing case between Erisco Foods Limited and Mrs. Chioma Okoli, made a damaging, audacious and utterly libellous claim that his client dropped her previous lawyer who accompanied her to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and went to Lagos to hire “a fake lawyer, a charge and bail lawyer to deceive her.”

Effiong claimed that Umeofia knew exactly who he was referring to since his engagement and representation of Chioma was already a matter of public knowledge.

Reiterating his earlier demand, the human rights lawyer, in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, said he spent five years in the University and one year in the Nigerian Law School before he was admitted into the Nigerian Bar.

He further claimed that his ten years of experience as a lawyer has been threatened by the claims of Umeofia who he alleged referred to him as “a fake lawyer” and “a charge and bail lawyer.”

He said: “Chief Eric Umeofia must present his evidence showing that I am a fake lawyer who was out to deceive my client.

“I spent five years in the University and one year in the Nigerian Law School before I was admitted into the Nigerian Bar.

“My ten years of experience as a lawyer has been threatened by the claims of Umeofia who referred to me as “a fake lawyer” and “a charge and bail lawyer”.

“I want justice.”