Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has alleged medical negligence in connection with the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, who died in the early hours of Wednesday, January 7, 2026, following medical procedures at a private hospital in Lagos.
Adichie made the allegations in a statement confirmed by her media team and later reinforced through a formal legal notice issued by her solicitors. The statement, ARISE News reported, was originally shared privately with family members and close friends.
According to Adichie, her family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when her son developed what initially appeared to be a cold but later worsened into a serious infection. Nkanu was admitted to Atlantis Pediatric Hospital and was scheduled for medical evacuation to the United States on January 7, with a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore reportedly on standby.
She explained that, ahead of the planned trip, doctors requested diagnostic procedures, including an MRI scan and a lumbar puncture, as well as the insertion of a central line to prepare him for travel. Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital on January 6, 2026, for the procedures.
Adichie said her son was sedated with propofol for the MRI and central line insertion but was allegedly not properly monitored afterward. She recounted that while waiting outside the theatre, she noticed medical staff rushing in, signalling that something had gone wrong.
She was later informed that Nkanu had been given an excessive dose of propofol, became unresponsive and had to be resuscitated. He was subsequently placed on a ventilator, intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit, where he later developed seizures and suffered cardiac arrest. He died a few hours later.
In her statement, Adichie described the actions of the attending anaesthesiologist as “criminally negligent,” alleging that proper protocols were not followed and that her son was transferred between units without adequate monitoring or oxygen support. She also claimed the family later learned of previous incidents involving the same anaesthesiologist.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day for what should have been basic procedures, and suddenly our beautiful little boy was gone forever,” she said, adding that the loss was devastating for her family.
Following the incident, Adichie and her partner, Dr Ivara Esege, through their solicitors led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, issued a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, demanding accountability from the hospital and its medical personnel. The notice alleged multiple breaches of duty of care, including inappropriate dosing of propofol, failure to ensure continuous monitoring, inadequate airway protection, unsafe patient transfers, and delayed response to medical distress.
The parents also alleged that the risks associated with propofol and other anaesthetic agents were not adequately disclosed to them, undermining the requirement for informed consent.
As part of their legal demands, the family requested certified copies of all medical records related to their son’s treatment within seven days, including consent forms, anaesthetic charts, drug administration logs, ICU records, incident reports and the identities of all medical staff involved. They also asked the hospital to preserve all relevant evidence, including CCTV footage and electronic monitoring data, warning that any destruction or alteration of records would have legal consequences.
The solicitors stated that failure to comply with the demands would leave the family with no option but to pursue all available legal, regulatory and judicial remedies.
Nkanu’s death had earlier been reported as occurring after a brief illness. Following the announcement, several prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former presidential candidate Peter Obi, expressed condolences to Adichie and her family.