A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted a cosmetic surgeon and founder of MedContour Services Ltd, Anuoluwapo Adepoju, over a botched surgery that claimed the life of her patient Nnnela Onwuzuligbo.
The sentence was for her failure to honour the invitation by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) shortly after the incident.
The FCCPC consequently charged her in court.
Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera disclosed this via a post on his official X handle on Friday, May 17.
“Today is a day of pride for me that I personally prosecuted Anu Adepoju & her medical practice. Though I’ve left, the case has ended in a conviction strengthening the accountability framework for all in society, professionals or otherwise. This is how society should work and grow.
“Dr. Anu Adepoju and her medical practice were convicted in all five counts charged by FCCPC. The wheel of justice may grind slowly, but we must see it through. What we need are enforced with audacity and will to prosecute competently and diligently. Good day for consumers of professional services,” Irukera noted.
Channels Television reported that Mohammed Liman, a justice of the court, found her guilty.
However she was given the option of paying a sum of N100,000, in lieu of the jail term.
Onwuzuligbo a beauty queen and Democracy Transformation in Nigeria face died in 2018 during a body enhancement surgery being carried out by Adepoju, which generated outrage among Nigerians.
Following the patient’s death, the FCCPC, under Irukera, began to investigate Adepoju on suspicions of illegal activities.
The surgeon, however, evaded investigations into the failed surgery and shunned summons by the FCCPC to appear in court. She also continued to carry out surgeries and used social media to continue advertising her services.
As a result, Adepoju was indefinitely suspended by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
Also, the management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, demanded that the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel investigate her for alleged professional misconduct.
In a petition written against her in 2020, LUTH stated that she claimed to be a cosmetic surgeon without undergoing a residency training programme or being registered by the MDCN.
LUTH also noted that Adepoju continued to perform surgeries even though the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency sealed her facility.
In July 2020, FCCPC announced that she had been arrested and arraigned. She was charged with failure to comply with a summons by the regulatory body, among other allegations.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.