Bokku Mart, a Nigerian grocery chain, is facing intense backlash after releasing an advertisement that many social media users have described as tribalistic and offensive.

The now-deleted video featured influencer Defolah comparing Bokku’s prices to those in local markets. During the clip, she made a controversial remark implying that Igbo traders cheat their customers, saying, “So you mean I can get beans and garri Ijebu at Bokku without any Omo Igbo cheating me?” She continued, “It’s so relaxing to shop without someone pulling you from the left and right, shouting my colour.”

The comments quickly drew outrage online, with many accusing the brand of promoting ethnic bias and disrespecting the Igbo community.

Defolah later issued a public apology, stating that her words were not intended to offend. “I sincerely apologize. It was never my intention to promote any form of tribal bias or disrespect to the Igbo people,” she wrote.

However, the apology has done little to calm the backlash. Many Nigerians have vowed to boycott Bokku Mart, arguing that the company’s approval of the ad reflected insensitivity and poor judgment. One user wrote, “Bokku Mart posted an advert insulting Igbos with slurs. Any Igbo who still patronizes them is an enemy of their tribe.”

Another commented, “Do you know how brazen the Igbophobia is for a brand to endorse such? It’s like ShopRite doing an ad in Nigeria and letting their influencer call Nigerians thieves.”

Social media commentator @firstladyship described the campaign as “lazy and divisive,” saying, “By engaging in stereotyping by calling another tribe ‘cheaters,’ you reduced your business to another ethnocentric brand in existence to service just a section of the country.”