Death of Chimamanda’s Son: Lagos Begins Probe

The Lagos State Government has ordered an independent investigation into allegations of medical negligence after the death of Nkanu Nnamdi, the 21-month-old son of internationally renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The toddler died on 7 January 2026 following a brief illness and subsequent medical procedures at a private facility in Lagos, officials and family sources say.

Adichie, an award-winning novelist whose works include Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, has publicly attributed her son’s death to what she described as “criminally negligent” medical care at Euracare Hospital in Lagos, where the child was taken for diagnostic procedures ahead of a planned medical evacuation to the United States.

In a statement, confirmed by her media team, Adichie said her family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a minor respiratory infection that quickly worsened. He was first treated at Atlantis Hospital before being referred to Euracare on 6 January for an MRI scan, a lumbar puncture and the insertion of a central line in preparation for his expected transfer to a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

According to Adichie, the child was sedated with propofol for the procedures but was not properly monitored afterward.

She alleges that he was given an excessive dose of the anaesthetic, became unresponsive and was resuscitated, only to be placed on a ventilator and later suffer seizures and cardiac arrest. He died several hours later, she said.

“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” Adichie wrote, describing the conduct of the anaesthesiologist involved as “fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child.” She also claimed that, after the central line procedure, her son’s oxygen was switched off before being moved to intensive care, and that he was carried by the anaesthesiologist without continuous monitoring breaches she said were indicative of gross professional failure.

Adichie further alleged that the family had since learned of at least two previous incidents involving alleged anaesthetic overdoses by the same practitioner, raising concerns about oversight and patient safety.

In response to the allegations, the Lagos State Government said it had been formally notified of the deeply distressing account and that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) to conduct a “thorough, independent and transparent” investigation into the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.

The government expressed condolences to the family and stressed its commitment to upholding clinical standards and accountability within the state’s healthcare system.

Euracare Hospital, one of Nigeria’s leading private healthcare providers, has acknowledged the tragedy, expressed sympathy to the grieving family and said it had commenced its own internal review consistent with clinical governance protocols.

In a statement the facility emphasised that some circulating reports were inaccurate, and reiterated its commitment to best practice and transparent engagement with regulatory processes, without addressing specific allegations.

The case has reignited debate both within Nigeria and internationally about patient safety, clinical oversight and accountability in private hospitals, particularly in critical paediatric care.

Medical associations, including the Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists, have said they are monitoring developments and will cooperate with formal inquiries.

Adichie and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, a Nigerian-American physician, have appealed for privacy as they mourn the loss of their son.

The Lagos State Government has indicated it will publish the findings of the investigation once concluded.