Abuja judge, therapist trade blame after cosmetic surgery goes wrong

Pamela Onyeagusi, a skin-care therapist, and an Abuja National Industrial Court judge, Justice Zainab Bashir, have traded blame over unsuccessful cosmetic procedures.

While the therapist accused the judge of harassing and making life unbearable for her after she (Bashir) complained that the cosmetic treatments were not successful, the latter, on her part, lamented that the procedures have left burns on her skin.

It was gathered that the judge, on Sunday, May 8, 2022, approached Onyeagusi at her residence in Utako area of Abuja, to undergo facial, thigh, and stomach treatments after being referred by the therapist’s client.

The judge was said to have paid a sum of $2000 for the cosmetic procedures to the therapist, and N500,000 after it was concluded.

Things, however, went south between the duo as the judge complained that her face was breaking out days after the operation.

Telling her side of the story, the therapist stated: “She (Bashir) came to my office on referral from one of my clients. When she came, I didn’t know she was a judge. She wanted facial, thigh and stomach treatments. She had acne on her face, black thighs, and stretch marks and also wanted laser hair removal.

“She had facial treatment and because of the many blackheads on her face, we used extractor on her. Her thighs were bad and when she requested the treatment, I told her it was quite painful and not advisable for her since she had undergone previous liposuction and other surgeries.

“But she insisted that I should do it that she didn’t like the way her thighs looked.

“So, she spent about three hours in our facility that day and afterwards, she sent her driver to pay $2,000 cash and the balance of N500,000 was paid on May 10.

“However, she complained about her face breaking out which I told her was as a result of the acne; she came to my place and I used ice to massage it for her. I later advised her to use honey and even sent her the type of honey to apply.

“For her thighs, I advised her to avoid putting pressure on them and that she should relax and avoid moving around for some days. However, she travelled the very next day, May 9. She even did double trips to Jos and Lagos.

“By May 13, she called and requested a refund of the money she paid for the services. Before her call, the client who referred her to me called and told me she was a judge and had been complaining that she didn’t get satisfaction from my procedure and so, I should refund her.”

According to Onyeagusi, when the judge asked for a refund, she didn’t hesitate for fear of being in more trouble.

Onyeagusi added that she didn’t hear from the judge until in September when she (the therapist) decided to reach out on a courtesy phone call.

“The moment she picked the call, she started threatening me that once she returned from the United States, she would teach me a lesson. Since then, I have not known peace. My BP sometimes rises to 200. I have not been able to concentrate on my work and I am nursing twins. I have begged the woman, sent people to beg her but nothing has worked,” the therapist explained.

On her part, Bashir insisted that the therapist inflicted injuries on her. Hence, the latter must face Justice.

Disclosing that she had reported the matter to the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) in Abuja, the judge maintained that the therapist burnt her face and skin with a laser machine she couldn’t operate.