…She caused me grievous bodily harm, pain, says judge did National Industrial Court’s (NIC) judge, Justice Zainab Bashir threaten to send someone to kill Abuja beautician Pamela Onyeagusi?
Did she threaten to use hot iron to burn the woman for allegedly damaging her body during a skincare procedure that occurred in May?
Has she been harassing the beautician and invading her Utako residence with armed policemen in a view to have her jailed over her dissatisfaction from the procedure?
Is it true that Onyeagusi criminally misrepresented herself as a skincare specialist with skill and knowledge in removing stretchmarks, scars and burns caused by surgeries?
The above and more are questions begging answers as Onyeagusi has cried out to the public alleging the judge of outright abuse of power, intimidation, threats and harassment.
In an SOS to reporters, the beautician alleged that Justice Bashir, who came to her place on May 8, following a referral from a client, had decided to make life unbearable for her because of the laser procedures she underwent.
According to her, the judge who wanted treatment for the removal of scars, liposuction burns, stretchmarks, bumps and tags she developed from previous cosmetic surgeries, left her office that fateful day without any complaints and even paid her $2,000, and N500,000 for services rendered.
But Justice Bashir described as lies, Onyeagusi’s allegations, stating that the woman caused her grievous bodily harm and excruciating pain.
The judge who spoke to Voice Of Masses Correspondent on telephone and also asked her lawyer, Ganiyu Bello to forward her position, said she had spent so much money after her procedure at Onyeagusi’s place to correct the damages to her body.
Justice Bashir accused the beautician of criminally misrepresenting herself as a professional and skillful skincare specialist, adding that she was negligent, reckless such that she burnt her right thigh during the procedure.
During the telephone discussion, an enraged Justice Bashir said it would take her no time to jail the therapist, just as she admitted that the money she paid was refunded.
Asked if she took armed policemen to the woman’s residence as alleged, the judge said: “My lawyer will contact you for more evidence. I suffered a lot, it will cost me nothing to jail her long ago but I have been waiting for her to come to her senses. I was in her office the day after she did that thing to complain, within three days she refunded my money but that cannot restore my health.
All what she wrote were all lies. She even begged me to use iron and burn her but I am not that stupid. All I want is justice, not vengeance.”
Narrating her ordeal, Onyeagusi said she got to know Justice Bashir was a judicial officer when her client called to tell her she was not satisfied and needed to be refunded.
She said: “When she came, I did not know she was a judge. She wanted facial, thigh and stomach treatments. She had acne on her face, black thighs, 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 really 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 cosmetic 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 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 there was need for her to avoid putting pressure on it and that she should relax and avoid moving around for some days. However, she travelled the very next day being 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 has been complaining that she didn’t get satisfaction from my procedure and so, I should refund her.
“So, when she called and said she wanted a refund, I did not even mind that I did render a service to her. I just refunded her since she was not satisfied and for the sake of peace.
“I did not hear anything from her again until sometime in September when I felt I should check up on her. Being a business owner, I felt it was irresponsible of me to allow an unsatisfied customer go with such an impression and so, felt I should at least extend some courtesies.
“Little did I know I was courting trouble by calling her. The moment she picked the call, she started warning and threatening me. That once she returned from the United States, she will teach me a lesson.
“Since then, I have not known peace. My BP sometimes rises to 200. I have not been able to concentrate to do my work and I am nursing my twins. I have begged the woman, sent people to beg her but nothing has worked.
“I do not know why she is bent on ruining my life. She knows the truth in this whole issue. She knows how her body was when she came to my place. Why she is now blaming me for it, is what I don’t know.
“In one of the days she came to my house, she threatened to use hot iron to burn me. She also said that she can send someone to shoot me to death and nothing will happen. There was another client at my house, a Hausa woman and she too started begging her.
“I was afraid and told her that please, I can plug iron so she uses it to burn me if that will make her happy. I begged her that she should not kill me because I do not want to die, I have infants to care for…”
Continuing, Onyeagusi said she was surprised in October when a letter from the judge’s lawyer was delivered at her Utako residence with the woman demanding reparation and compensation.
In the letter availed our Correspondent by Bello, Justice Bashir averred that she patronised the beautician based on her claim of being a professional with requisite knowledge in removing stretchmarks and skin scars arising from surgery using laser procedure.
She stated that the injury and pain to her right thigh were so severe that she had to ask the therapist to discontinue the procedure and that was what saved her other thigh.
“Within hours after the unsuccessful procedure, the condition of injury inflicted on our client’s right thigh started to deteriorate while she also experienced terrible breakouts on her face. Our client was forced to travel to Lagos on several occasions for treatment of the injury to her thigh and her face.
“She was put on dosage of several expensive medications while having to bear excruciating pains from the injury for about a month as she could barely walk or engage in bath without suffering excruciating pain form the burnt areas of her body.
“It is our position as irrefutably backed by law that arising from the foregoing narrative, your representation of being a professional is a false and fraudulent representation while you were indeed criminally negligent and unskilled.
“That notwithstanding, the position of the law is that any person who does an act in a rash and negligent manner so as to endanger human life or cause hurt or injury to a person is liable under the law.
“Similarly, any person who causes bodily hurt which endangers human life or which causes the sufferer to be, during the space of twenty days, in severe pain or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits shall be liable and punished under the law.
“The foregoing position clearly shows that our client has a concrete basis upon which to prosecute you for criminal misrepresentation, negligence, recklessness, infliction of grievous bodily hurt and endangering her life while making you face the wrath of the law.
“The consequently serves as a notice that you shall be charged to court upon this matter if reasonable steps are not taken to remedy all the wrongs committed towards our client,” the letter said.
Replying to the judge’s claims, Onyeagusi, through the law firm of Fredricks Itula (SAN), said she was a permanent and semi-permanent make-up artist/lash technician trained in the United Kingdom and the United States of America with
verifiable certificates.
She argued that if the judge felt pain and stopped the procedure as alleged, why then did she proceed to pay her $2,000 which her driver brought same day and N500,O00 two days later to complete the agreed costs?
“It is important to state here that your client before that 8th day of May, 2022 has had thigh liposuction, gastric by-pass surgery, many cosmetic procedures, surgeries and facial treatments which resulted in various spotted skin bumps and keloid growths.
“She informed our clients that she has a problematic skin that results to bumps after cosmetic procedures, surgeries and facial treatment. Our client advised her against laser cosmetic procedures but she insisted on laser procedures on her thigh and stomach with a view to remove existing scar thigh, wrinkles, and stretch marks.
“Your client persuaded our client to go ahead with the laser procedure with the notion of looking young and beautiful with no one being able to guess her real age.
“Consequently, your client requested for a (PRP) plasma hair treatment of which procedure our client advised will entail not using hair scarf or hijab as a Muslim woman for a given period of time.
The advice didn’t seat well with your client who rather opted to get the services elsewhere since our client was not willing to
proceed.
“After the thigh procedure, our client advised your client to observe less movement that will put pressure or friction on her thigh since such procedure will be effective if the client relaxes her laps for a couple of days for quick healing.
“Your client rather than heed to this advice immediately proceeded to embark on trips to Jos and Lagos which consequentially resulted to blisters on the affected areas due to excessive frictions of the thighs couple with skin lightening cream she uses.
“Sir, while our sympathy goes to your client, the Honourable Justice Z.M. Bashir for the unfortunate experience, we however beg to state as follows:
“That our client observed and administered the procedures professionally as a trained expert who knows her onus in skin care treatment and have effectively and successfully treated several clients without any complaint.
“Our client’s success rate has earned her several referrals from clients who felt satisfied with her services and which your client is one of such referrals.
“It will interest you to know that during the procedures, no complaint on bodily injury or hurt was raised or received by our client contrary to your assertion that the hurt experienced by your client during the procedure was so excruciating ‘that our client had to stop you from continuing the
procedure and that was a saving grace for her left thigh’.
“This assertion is farther from the truth and an attempt to give a dog a bad name in other to hang him.
“What you may not have been informed is that after the procedure, your client made to our client the initial payment of the sum of $2000 covering part of our client’s services and two days thereafter precisely on the 10th May, 2022 made a further payment of the sum of N500,000 to complete the money our client charged her.
“It would be rather preposterous and hard to imagine that your client whom you claimed was severely hurt and burnt during the procedure and had to stop our client midway from completing the procedure to still go ahead to make a further payment two days after the procedure to complete the tee our client charged her.
“We were also informed that your client issued a lot of threats and harassment to our client and demanded for the full refund of the fees our client charged her failing which she would face her wrath.
“The threats were so frightening that our client had to inform the woman who referred your client to her and shudder when she realised that your client is a serving Judge and could make life unbearable for her, hence the full refund of the payment so made.
“Kindly note Sir, that the full refund our client made to your client was an impulsive fear of the powers and force your client may unleash on her with her position as a serving Judge, not for any other reason.
“The fees were earned as our client performed her professional services as a trained skin care professional.
Howbeit, she forfeited the fee and tendered apology to give peace a chance despite the fact that she had raised the issue of the peculiarity of your client’s skin which is problematic as earlier confirmed by your client couple with other failed procedures your client had embarked upon previously for the same purpose which complicated the issue.
“It is the position of our client that whatever the outcome of the procedure was is not as a result of negligence, recklessness or professional incompetence as being suggested by your letter.
“You made it clear by your letter that after the procedure in May, 2022 your client performed other cosmetic procedures with some Hospitals in Lagos though the outcome of the later procedures were not stated.
“Kindly note for clarity, that our client would not be held liable tor the cost of subsequent cosmetic procedures your client embarked on that resulted to your writing to our client the letter of the 7th October 2022.
“In as much as we deny vehemently the allegations of negligence and recklessness on the part of our client, we however, would be willing to have a meeting for a peaceful
resolution of the issues.
While we look forward to your response, kindly accept the assurances of our high
esteem.”
Source: Voice of Masses