Justice Muhammad Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced cosmetic surgeon Dr. Anuoluwapo Adepoju to one year in prison on Friday, following a botched plastic surgery on Nneka Onwuzuligbo in 2020.
The judge delivered the verdict after thoroughly reviewing submissions from both the prosecution and the defense. However, Justice Liman provided the option for Adepoju to pay a fine of N100,000 in lieu of serving the jail term.
Dr. Adepoju and her clinic, MedContour Services Limited, faced five charges brought by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). These charges included failing to comply with an investigation into post-surgery complications and not providing necessary documents.
Initially arraigned on July 17, 2020, Adepoju pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on self-recognition. After the prosecution rested its case, Adepoju opted not to present a defense, filing a no-case submission, which Justice Liman dismissed on April 7, 2022, stating that sufficient evidence had been presented.
The prosecution alleged that Adepoju failed to respond to the FCCPC’s summons dated April 15, 2020, and did not produce required documents as notified on April 14, 2020. Furthermore, she was accused of obstructing the commission’s investigation.
The offences are punishable under sections 11(1)(a), 33(1)(a), 110, 113(1)(a), and 159(4) of the FCCPC Act, 2018.
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) also raised concerns over Adepoju’s professional conduct, noting she continued performing surgeries despite her facility being sealed by the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency. LUTH reported that Adepoju referred the late Nneka Onwuzuligbo to them under false pretenses, resulting in severe complications for the patient.
In an affidavit, Prof. Andrew Ugburo, a consultant surgeon, detailed that Onwuzuligbo was brought to LUTH in severe respiratory distress and with infected surgical wounds, ultimately leading to her demise.
