Coroner Rules Cosmetic Procedure Caused Influencer Igho Ubiribo’s Death in Bangkok
A UK coroner has ruled that a cosmetic penis enlargement procedure was responsible for the death of Nigerian-British businessman and social media influencer Igho Ubiribo, who died from a pulmonary embolism after undergoing the treatment during a holiday in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ubiribo, 43, also known online as “Tiny,” “Denisi” and “Ego,” was in Bangkok with his wife, fashion designer and socialite Danielle Simba Allen, when he underwent the procedure at an unnamed clinic in March 2026. An inquest at London’s Inner West Coroners’ Court heard that doctors injected 40 millilitres of hyaluronic acid and lidocaine into his penis as part of the treatment. Shortly afterward, Ubiribo and his wife returned to their hotel, where he began experiencing chest pain during a massage and subsequently lost consciousness twice. He was taken by ambulance to Sukhumvit Hospital, where he was initially able to respond to questions from medical staff.
According to evidence presented at the inquest, Allen informed doctors that her husband had recently undergone the filler procedure, prompting doctors to suspect a pulmonary embolism, a potentially life-threatening blockage of a blood vessel in the lungs. A recommended CT scan could not be carried out before Ubiribo lost consciousness again, and he was subsequently moved to intensive care, where medical staff attempted resuscitation for more than 100 minutes. He died in the early hours of March 6. A postmortem examination conducted afterward in the UK found cellular material in his lungs consistent with the hyaluronic acid used during the procedure, with pathologist John du Parcq confirming the material matched the substance injected.
Coroner Jean Harkin concluded that Ubiribo died “as the result of a cosmetic procedure abroad,” recording the official cause of death as a pulmonary embolism resulting from the injection of hyaluronic acid. Evidence from Ubiribo’s primary care doctor in London also described his general medical history, noting he had previously undergone joint surgery and had been described as pre-diabetic and living with gout, though his doctor said he had no other significant underlying health conditions.
Ubiribo, who had amassed around 185,000 followers on Instagram documenting a high-profile lifestyle, owned properties in both Los Angeles and London, and had married Allen in a lavish ceremony in Zimbabwe in 2022. Following his death, he was buried in London in May in a gold coffin reported to have cost in excess of $600,000. His funeral drew a number of prominent figures, including Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido, a childhood friend who spoke at the service and described Ubiribo as a man of great energy whose death was difficult to accept.
The case has renewed concern among medical professionals over the risks associated with penile filler procedures, particularly when carried out abroad and outside of regulated clinical settings. Professor Vaibhav Modgil, an NHS andrology specialist and consultant urological surgeon, has previously warned that such procedures can carry potentially devastating complications for patients. Hyaluronic acid penis fillers, which can cost up to several thousand dollars and typically last only six to nine months, remain a popular but medically contested option for men seeking non-surgical enhancement, with experts continuing to caution against the practice given the associated health risks.
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