Months after word spread that Nigerian-British influencer Igho “Tiny” Ubiribo collapsed and died during a trip to Thailand, an official inquest has now confirmed exactly what took his life.
According to findings presented at Inner West London Coroners’ Court, the 43-year-old businessman died from a pulmonary embolism caused directly by a penis enlargement procedure he underwent while vacationing in Bangkok with his wife, Danielle Simba Allen, TMZ reports. Coroner Jean Harkin ruled that the fatal blood clot in his lungs was a direct result of the cosmetic treatment he received.
Back in March, Ubiribo reportedly had 40 milliliters of hyaluronic acid mixed with lidocaine injected into his penis at a clinic in Thailand, a procedure that’s become increasingly popular but rarely discussed openly. It’s marketed as a quick, minimally invasive way to enhance size, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that when filler material gets into the bloodstream instead of staying where it’s injected, it can travel straight to the lungs and heart.
That’s exactly what investigators believe happened. After the injection, Ubiribo and his wife went out for a couples massage, a normal, relaxing part of their trip. But things went left fast. He started complaining of chest pain and passed out twice before an ambulance rushed him to Sukhumvit Hospital.
At first, doctors thought he had a fighting chance. Ubiribo was conscious when he arrived and able to answer questions, giving hope that this was something they could get ahead of. Danielle immediately told the medical team about the procedure he’d just had, which should have been the red flag doctors needed to move fast. But before they could get him into a CT scan to check for exactly what was going on internally, Ubiribo lost consciousness for the final time.
A postmortem conducted back in the UK sealed the answer everyone was waiting for. Pathologists found cellular material in his lungs that matched the same hyaluronic acid used during his procedure, hard scientific proof that the filler had migrated into his bloodstream and triggered the fatal embolism.
Medical experts say this kind of complication, while rare, is a real risk with any filler-based cosmetic procedure, especially when performed outside of tightly regulated environments.
Hyaluronic acid injections for this purpose can cost thousands of dollars and are often sought out overseas where they’re cheaper and less regulated. When it’s injected incorrectly or in large volumes, it can enter a blood vessel and travel to the lungs, causing exactly what took Ubiribo’s life.
The influencer, who had built a following of about 185,000 on Instagram off the strength of his lavish lifestyle, was laid to rest in London in a gold coffin, with Afrobeats star Davido and nightlife personality Cubana Chief Priest among the mourners who came out to honor him.