By Chidinma Ufomadu
The Chief Executive, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Dr Babatunde Irukera, says Lagos-based cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Anuoluwapo Adepoju is not facing trial for murder.
Adepoju’s statement on Friday was in reaction to claims that Dr. Anu’s services allegedly led to the death of one Mrs. Nneka Onwuzuligbo.
Instead, the FCCPC Chief Executive stated that Anu was arraigned over issues relating to complaints about the standard of the services she rendered to clients as a cosmetic surgeon.
On July 3, 2020, Med Contour Service Limited, which is Dr. Anu’s Clinic, was arraigned before Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos, for allegedly creating obstacles to the investigation of the case and also paying deaf ears to summons by the agency to appear before it and tender certain documents.
A complaint was received by FCCPC against Dr. Anu from one Marlene Oluwakemi, Taiwo Temilade, and Vivian Onwuzuligbo that her services “are unsafe for consumers” and that she made “false misleading and deceptive representation in relation to the marketing of their services”.
In a six-paragraph affidavit on completion of investigation, these complaints were attached to the charge sheet.
The commission maintained that there had been an allegation that the incident occurred between April 15 and May 4, 2020 at No. 11a Ladi Alakija Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Including that the “deceased died as a result of the failed defendant’s cosmetic surgery and she is privy to the events that led to the demise of the deceased”.
Irukera had said Dr. Anu acted contrary to 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.
During an interview, he further explained that following the “alarming” and “damaging” complaints received against Dr. Anu, it became a necessity to put the services of Dr. Anu and her clinic on hold till proper investigation was carried out. Reports has it that the cosmetic surgeon denied the allegations.
He further stated that, “Immediately we called for additional information, there was a barrage. So, it was clear to us that these operations had to stop until we could clarify, and we needed to know from other regulatory authorities that the business was safe to continue to operate.”
“We did what we call an interim seal, and then opened an investigation. After we opened the investigation, more complaints came in, a lot more information — some of it alarming, some of it damaging,” he said.
Irukera maintained that Dr. Anu ignored responding to the agency nor acknowledging that a regulatory process was ongoing.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anu, through her lawyer, Marian Jones, claims that Irukera had a personal interest in the matter.
Irukera said, “In the legal professional’s ethics, when you have employment in a place of work, you are not supposed to act as a lawyer to represent it in court.”
She explains that he is the chief executive; he is not supposed to be going to court. If he has a legal department and it is authorised to go to court, it will go to court.
“Dr Anu (Anuoluwapo Adepoju) thinks that he does (have a personal interest in the case) because he raided her office before he pasted the notice on the door of the office. You don’t have to evade an office, seal it before you serve the notice. When you seal an office, who will enter there to see the notice?”
