Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has issued a formal legal notice against Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos, alleging medical negligence and professional misconduct in connection with the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi Adichie-Esege.
The development comes amid heightened public concern, prompting Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to order an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
In a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, issued by a law firm led by Professor Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Adichie and her partner, Dr Ivara Esege, accused the hospital, its anaesthesiologist, and other medical personnel of breaching their duty of care. The child reportedly died in the early hours of January 7, 2026.
According to the notice, Nkanu, born on March 25, 2024, was referred to Euracare on January 6, 2026, from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital for diagnostic procedures ahead of an emergency medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist medical team was said to be on standby.
The procedures performed at Euracare reportedly included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture. The child was sedated intravenously with propofol during the procedures.
The parents alleged that the child developed sudden and severe complications while being transported from the MRI suite to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. They raised concerns that, despite being deeply sedated, the child was moved between clinical areas under conditions that allegedly violated established patient safety and paediatric anaesthesia protocols.
The legal notice outlined several alleged lapses, including excessive cumulative dosing of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection, failure to ensure continuous physiological monitoring, and transfer without supplemental oxygen, proper monitoring, or sufficient medical supervision.
Additional allegations include the absence of essential resuscitation equipment, delayed recognition and response to respiratory or cardiovascular distress, and failure to comply with recognised paediatric anaesthesia and patient-transfer standards.
The parents also accused the hospital of failing to properly disclose the risks and side effects associated with propofol and other anaesthetic agents, thereby undermining the requirement for informed consent.
The solicitors stated that these alleged failures constitute prima facie breaches of the duty of care, rendering the hospital and the involved medical personnel potentially liable for medical negligence resulting in the child’s death.
As part of their demands, the parents requested certified copies of all medical records related to their son’s treatment within seven days. These include admission notes, consent forms, pre-anaesthetic assessments, anaesthetic charts, medication records, monitoring logs, nursing notes, ICU documentation, incident reports, and the names of all medical staff involved in the child’s care.
They also demanded internal review documents, MRI suite safety logs, and all records connected to the child’s treatment. Euracare was instructed to preserve all physical and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage, monitoring data, pharmacy records, emergency equipment logs, internal communications, and morbidity and mortality review documents.
The legal team warned that any destruction or alteration of evidence after receipt of the notice would be regarded as obstruction of justice and could attract legal consequences. Failure to comply, they said, would leave the family with no option but to pursue all available legal, regulatory, and judicial remedies.
Meanwhile, the child’s aunt, Dr Anthea Esege Nwandu, a dual board-certified internal medicine physician with over 30 years of clinical experience in Nigeria and the United States, has challenged Euracare’s public statement issued on January 10, 2026.
In a rebuttal, Dr Nwandu disputed the hospital’s claim that the family’s account contained inaccuracies, alleging instead that the hospital’s statement included significant falsehoods. She also rejected Euracare’s assertion that the child had received care at two paediatric centres prior to admission, insisting he was treated at only one facility before referral.
She further alleged that internationally accepted medical standards were not followed, stating that a sedated child on oxygen requires continuous oxygen therapy and monitoring of oxygen saturation, pulse, and respiration. She also claimed that proper resuscitation equipment, including an ambu bag, was not provided during the child’s transfer within the hospital.
Euracare Hospital has yet to issue a further response to the detailed allegations as investigations continue.
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