Trial of popular Lagos plastic surgeon continues

The trial of a popular Lagos plastic surgeon, Anuoluwapo Adepoju, whose services allegedly resulted in the death of her patient, Nneka Onwuzuligbo, continued on Friday before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, which is prosecuting the surgeon, called its first witness and tendered a series of documents, which the court admitted in evidence against the surgeon.

The FCCPC accused Ms Adepoju of blocking investigations into customers’ complaints against her, by allegedly shunning the agency’s summons and refusing to produce documents demanded from her.

Charges

FCCPC’s prosecuting counsel, Babatunde Irukera, told Justice Mohammed Liman that it was a criminal offence for an industrial player to shun a summons by the commission, adding that the offence carries either a term of imprisonment or fine or both.

Mr Irukera said Ms Adepoju’s alleged offences contravened sections 33(3)(a) and 113(4)(a) of the FCCPC Act 2018 and was liable to be punished under sections 33(3) and 113(1) of the same Act, among others.

The first prosecution witness, Susie Onwuka, an official of the FCCPC, said the commission received a series of complaints from Ms Adepoju’s customers between March and April this year and efforts to probe the allegations were allegedly frustrated by the surgeon.

Ms Onwuka said the surgeon failed to appear before the commission despite a summons issued and served on her as well as a notice of investigation pasted on the premises of her office in Lekki.

Among other documents, Justice Liman admitted as exhibits the summons, the notice of investigation and the photographs taken by the FCCPC while pasting the notice on her wall.

The judge adjourned till October 14, 2020, for the defence counsel, Marian Jones, to cross-examine the witness.

Complaints

In a six-paragraph affidavit of completion of investigation attached to the charge sheet, the commission said it received complaints against Ms Adepoju from one Marlene Oluwakemi, Taiwo Temilade and Vivian Onwuzuligbo that the surgeon’s services “are unsafe for consumers,” and that she made “false, misleading and deceptive representation in relation to the marketing of their services.”

It said, “In particular, the above-mentioned Vivian Onwuzuligbo, a member of the Mrs Nnneka Miriam Barbara Onwuzuligbo (now deceased) alleged that the deceased died as a result of the failed defendants’ cosmetic surgery and she is privy to the events that led to the demise of the deceased.”

Background

FCCPC sealed Ms Adepoju’s popular plastic surgery hospital, Med Contour, on “suspicion of illegal activities” in April.

The FCCPC said it has commenced an investigation into a failed plastic surgery performed by the doctor.

The agency said the arrest was in furtherance of “an open investigation, on reasonable suspicion of illegal activities in an abundance of caution and consumer safety pending further inquiry”.

The surgeon was recently called out by a Twitter user, Omotola Taiwo (with the user name, Omohtee), for allegedly performing a fake surgical procedure on her.

Omohtee, who disclosed that she wanted a ‘normal’ waist, accused the plastic surgeon of blocking her on social media platforms after the alleged botched surgery.

She urged Nigerians to be wary of Med Contour clinic.

“So apparently my offence is that her waist is too tiny,” the defendant said in defence on Instagram.

“At the expense of another person’s name and profession some people just want their posts to trend…this is really sad. I leave this lady to God..let God’s will be done.”