In Lagos, Fashion Turns Tragedy as Lady, 36, Dies During Buttocks Enlargement Operation

Tragedy struck in the Lekki-Phase 1 area of Lagos State, Monday, as a 36-year-old woman, died during a procedure to enhance and enlarge her buttocks.

According to the Punch newspaper, the tragedy occurred at about 3.a.m. on Monday at a clinic in the area.

Buttocks enlargement has, for some time now, been a common fad among Lagos ladies in the erroneous belief that men prefer big or heavy-duty backside.

Popularly known as Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, the procedure, according to WebMD, the procedure is a cosmetic surgery in which the surgeon removes fat from the lady’s belly, hips, lower back, or thighs, through liposuction, and transfers it to the buttocks.

The procedure, according to the WebMD website gives the beneficiary “more of an hourglass-shaped figure, with larger buttocks”, and not necessarily a “lift” because “it doesn’t try to raise your buttocks. Instead, it increases volume. A BBL can give you a smaller-looking waist if the fat comes from your belly or lower back.”

Confirming the tragedy, the Public Relations Officer for the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Benjamin Hundeyin, said a suspect linked to the disaster has been taken to custody, telling investigators all she knew about the enlargement surgery gone awry.

“The private driver of the deceased reported the incident to the Maroko division,” Hundeyin said. “Our officers visited the scene and the body was sent to a public morgue for an autopsy. The nurse who injected the deceased has been arrested and an investigation is ongoing.”

But how did it happen? The report quoted an anonymous police source who hinted that the deceased left her home at Diamond Estate, Sangotedo in the Ibeju Lekki area of the state, and instructed her driver to take her to the clinic for the surgery.

At the hospital, the owner of the clinic reportedly instructed a nurse to administer an injection to the lady. Abiola reportedly lost consciousness immediately after she took the injection and began to gasp for breath.

The deceased, the report continues, was promptly transferred to a hospital in Lekki Phase 1, where she was pronounced dead.