By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
Ms. Love Dooshima, a 53-year-old Abuja-based shop owner and businesswoman popularly known for her consumer reviews, was released from detention at the Zone 7 Police Headquarters (AIG Zone 7) early Tuesday morning after human rights lawyer Barrister Inebehe Effiong and senior police intervention secured her freedom.
Dooshima had honoured a police invitation since noon on Monday, April 20, 2026, following a formal complaint lodged by Bon Bread, a Nigerian bread manufacturing company. Instead of being questioned and released, she was detained, prompting a late-night distress call to activists and lawyers.
Barrister Effiong, accompanied by social media activists MamaPee and Randy-Peter Akah, arrived at the station overnight. In a statement posted on social media shortly after midnight, he confirmed: “Ms. Love Dooshima, the businesswoman who made a review about an unarmed bread has just been released from police custody at Zone 7 Police Headquarters… Following the intervention of the IGP, Tunji Disu, she has been released at 12:30 AM today, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. We will be back by daybreak.”
The case originated from a viral TikTok video posted by Dooshima several days earlier. In the clip, the shop owner showed a loaf of bread that had allegedly sat on her store shelf for more than two months without developing mould, going stale, or emitting any bad odour. She voiced concern about food safety and the unusually long shelf life of commercially produced bread in Nigeria, famously stating: “Guys, at this point, if you love bread too much, start baking your bread. Something is wrong with our bread.”
Crucially, Dooshima did not name any brand or display clear packaging in the video. However, Bon Bread’s management, led by CEO Maria Abdulkadir, claimed the content targeted their product, damaged the company’s reputation, and amounted to an “everlasting bread” smear that could harm sales. The firm said it first attempted private engagement with Dooshima, which it said failed, before filing a ₦50 million lawsuit and involving the police.
The video ignited nationwide debate about preservatives in Nigerian bread, consumer protection, and corporate responses to online criticism. Many Nigerians viewed the police involvement and detention as an overreach in what they described as a civil matter better suited for
the courts.
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