True and Sad Story of Nigeria’s Former First Lady, Stella Obasanjo’s Death

On the 23rd of October, 2005, the whole of Nigeria was thrown into a state of grief as the news reported Nigeria’s First Lady, Stella Obasanjo’s death. At first, there were different speculations about the cause of her death one of which was “her husband’s dealings with a secret cult” but it was later revealed that Stella Obasanjo’s death was caused by something else entirely.

OldNaija gathered that the Nigerian first lady was making preparations for her 60th birthday when she opted for cosmetic surgery at a private health clinic in Puerto Banús, Marbella, Spain.

Inside sources revealed that the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, was not aware that his wife went for surgery in Spain. Obasanjo revealed this in his autobiography, My Watch:

“I found that part of her 60th birthday anniversary, which was unknown to me, was her operation for her tummy and her shape.”

Obasanjo also debunked the claim that “he sacrificed his wife, Stella Obasanjo, to be successful in his political career”. He said,

“Before the verdict in Spain, I was unaware of what I came to hear later that I might have caused the death of my wife to sacrifice her for success in my job. “That is how wicked and satanic some Nigerians can be in their rumours and mischief.”

OldNaija gathered that during Stella Obasanjo’s surgery in Spain, a tube used for removing fat had been mistakenly placed into her abdominal cavity which punctured her colon and lacerated her liver making her seriously ill the following day. This was made known during the court hearing.

During the court hearing, prosecutors said the surgeon initially failed to answer his mobile phone, and then waited more than four hours before driving Stella Obasanjo in his own car to an intensive care unit, where she died an hour later.

It was concluded that Stella Obasanjo’s death was caused by the carelessness and negligence of the Spanish surgeon because simple blood tests or an ultrasound procedure would have detected the internal injuries which, with more time, could have been treated.

The surgeon /doctor (identified in court documents only by the initials A. M) was sentenced to a year in prison for causing homicide through negligence. He was also disqualified from practising medicine for three years, and ordered to pay $176,000 (£108,000) in compensation to Stella Obasanjo’s son.

Olusegun Obasanjo referred to the doctor who carried out the surgery on Stella as “careless” and narrated how he got justice for Stella Obasanjo’s death with the help of the Nigerian Embassy in Spain and the Spanish authorities,

“I instructed that the doctor and the clinic be prosecuted. The lost life cannot be brought back but the successful prosecution would prevent carelessness and loss of life in the future.”

Thanks for reading, OldNaija.com

References:

1. Doctor jailed over former first lady’s lipo death”. Australian Broadcasting Company.
2. Doctor sentenced in death of Nigeria’s First Lady in Marbella”. Typically Spanish
3. Paul Ohia (22 September 2009). “Surgeon Jailed over Stella Obasanjo’s Death”. THISDAY ONLINE
4. Nigerian President’s wife dies after plastic surgery operation in Spain”, The Independent