A UK coroner has ruled that Nigerian-British businessman Igho Ubiribo died from a pulmonary embolism following a penis filler procedure in Thailand.
A 43-year-old Nigerian-British businessman and social media influencer, Igho Ubiribo, has died after undergoing a penis enlargement procedure during a holiday in Thailand, a UK coroner has ruled.
According to the Daily Mail, coroner Jean Harkin found that the cosmetic procedure caused a fatal pulmonary embolism.
What Happened
Ubiribo also known by the nicknames “Tiny,” “Denisi” and “Ego”, was on a luxury holiday in Bangkok with his wife, Danielle Simba Allen, when he decided to undergo the procedure. An inquest at Inner West London Coroners’ Court heard that 40 millilitres of hyaluronic acid and lidocaine were injected into Ubiribo’s penis at an unnamed clinic in Thailand in March.
Following the procedure, the couple went for a massage at their Bangkok hotel. It was during the massage that Ubiribo complained of chest pain and passed out twice. He was rushed by ambulance to Sukhumvit Hospital, where he was initially able to respond to questions.
Allen told doctors that her husband had recently undergone penis filler injections. Suspecting a pulmonary embolism, doctors recommended a CT scan, but Ubiribo lost consciousness before it could be carried out. He was transferred to intensive care, where medical staff performed CPR for more than 100 minutes in an attempt to revive him. He died in the early hours of March 6.
What the Coroner Found.
A postmortem examination in the UK later found cellular material in Ubiribo’s lungs consistent with the hyaluronic acid used in the filler procedure. Pathologist John du Parcq told the inquest that the material matched the substance used in the cosmetic treatment, and that the finding was consistent with a pulmonary embolism, corroborating an earlier autopsy carried out in Thailand.
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood vessel supplying the lungs becomes blocked, a condition that can be life-threatening because it restricts blood flow to the lungs and places severe strain on the heart.
Ubiribo’s London-based doctor told the inquest that he had previously undergone joint surgery and was pre-diabetic and had gout, but had no other significant medical conditions.
Hyaluronic acid fillers are used as a non-surgical way to increase penis girth, and can cost several thousand dollars. Medical professionals have repeatedly warned that injectable fillers of this kind carry serious risks, including infection, loss of sensation, erectile dysfunction and disfigurement, and their effects generally last only a matter of months before the material is absorbed by the body.
A Documented, Lavish Life
Ubiribo was known for chronicling his affluent lifestyle online, with roughly 185,000 followers on Instagram. He owned a home in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw neighbourhood valued at about $1.1 million and a London apartment worth around $600,000. He and Allen, a fashion designer and socialite, married in an elaborate ceremony in Zimbabwe in 2022.
Following his death, Ubiribo was buried in London in a gold coffin, with reports putting its cost above $600,000. Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido, described as a childhood friend, was among those who attended the funeral and spoke, calling Ubiribo a man of great energy and presence whose death was difficult to accept.
Renewed Scrutiny of Cosmetic Procedures
The case has drawn fresh attention to the risks associated with cosmetic penis enlargement procedures involving injectable fillers. While hyaluronic acid is widely used across cosmetic medicine, Ubiribo’s death illustrates the potentially fatal complications such procedures can carry when things go wrong.
The coroner’s ruling was based on evidence presented at the inquest linking the material found in Ubiribo’s lungs directly to the hyaluronic acid used during the Thailand procedure.
