The tragic death of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has prompted the author to publicly accuse a Lagos hospital of negligence during a routine medical procedure.
According to Adichie, the incident occurred at EURACARE Multispecialist Hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos, where her son was receiving medical attention ahead of a planned trip to the United States for further treatment. In a private message that later became public, Adichie alleged that the anaesthesiologist attending to Nkanu was careless, and that errors during sedation directly contributed to her son’s death.
“My son would be alive today if not for what happened at the hospital on January 6″, she reportedly wrote. Her media team confirmed the authenticity of the message.
Adichie explained that Nkanu initially showed minor symptoms, which she believed were a cold, but his condition quickly worsened, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital. With plans to travel the following day and a U.S. medical team awaiting him in Baltimore, diagnostic procedures including an MRI scan and lumbar puncture were requested.
The Nigerian team also recommended the insertion of a central line to administer IV medications during the flight. Atlantis Hospital referred the family to another facility, which they were told was better equipped to perform the procedures.
On arrival at the second hospital, Nkanu was sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line procedure. Adichie said she was waiting outside the theatre when medical staff, including a doctor identified as Dr. M, rushed in, signalling that something had gone wrong.
She alleged that her son had been given an excessive dose of propofol, leaving him unresponsive. Despite resuscitation efforts, he was intubated, placed on a ventilator, and transferred to the ICU. Adichie said that Nkanu suffered seizures and cardiac arrest and died several hours later.
Adichie further claimed that critical monitoring was neglected after sedation and that the anaesthesiologist mishandled oxygen support while transporting Nkanu to the ICU. She also questioned why EURACARE continued to employ the doctor despite reports of previous incidents involving him.
“We brought in a child who was ill but stable for routine procedures. Instead, we lost our beautiful boy forever. It is like living your worst nightmare”, Adichie wrote, describing the ordeal as an experience she may never recover from.
As of now, EURACARE Multispecialist Hospital has not issued a public response to the allegations.
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