The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has re-arraigned popular Lagos cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Anuoluwapo Adepoju, also known as ‘Dr Anu’, for allegedly obstructing investigation into complaints of her failed surgeries.
Adepoju has been re-arraigned alongside her firm, Med Contour Services Ltd, before Mr. Justice Mohammed Liman, at the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a five-count amended charge brought against her by the commission.
The FCCPC alleged that Dr. Anu “failed or refused to appear” before it, despite a summon, between April 15 and May 4, 2020, at No. 72a Ladi Alakija Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
It said, “Failure to produce d
ocuments in compliance with the Commission’s Notice of Investigation as required by law” and “impeding, preventing or obstructing the Commission’s investigation.”
According to the Commission, her 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.
Following her plea of not guilty, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, who is the Director-General of FCCPC, told the court that the agency was ready for trial as the two witnesses were present in court.
The first witness, an FCCPC staff, Mrs. Suzzy Onwuka, narrated how the defendants failed to appear before the agency sometime in March and April 2020.
She told the court that the Commission received complaints from people who reportedly suffered adversely from the surgeries of Dr. Anu, adding that she made false advertisements about her work.
“When the FCCPC began investigation, we could not locate the defendants’ place of business at its advertised address. She gave false address as her office, MedContour was found at another address.
“Then the FCCPC wrote to the surgeon, notifying her of the investigation and requested that she should provide documents to the commission. The notice of investigation was issued on April 14, 2020. Dr Adepoju failed to comply. Hence, the notice was pasted on MedContour’s premises,” she stated.
She further revealed that the commission however pasted a summons to the defendant on the same address, requesting that she should come to the commission but she failed to comply.
The FCCPC therefore presented a statement , it issued to Dr. Anu, alongside photographs, as well as a letter by the Nigerian Medical Association to the FCCPC found on the defendant’s Instagram account, various letters and emails to the FCCPC, as well as “three bundles of complaint questionnaires.”
The court admitted the documents as exhibits and subsequently adjourned the next hearing to October 14, 2020.
It can be recalled that FCCPC had, in April, sealed the Dr. Anu’s Med Contour building – a plastic surgery hospital, over suspicion of illegal activities.
The FCCPC had on its official website declared it was investigating allegations that the surgeon’s services resulted in the death of one Mrs. Nneka Onwuzuligbo, among other complaints.
