Lawyers representing acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, have written a formal legal notice to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos, over the death of their 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has confirmed the suspension of the doctor involved in the child’s care.
The development comes amidst mounting public outrage and an ongoing investigation by state health authorities into the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death in the early hours of Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
In a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, the family’s solicitors, Pinheiro LP, accused the hospital, its anaesthesiologist, and other medical personnel of breaching the duty of care owed to the child. The notice was signed by the firm’s founding partner, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
According to the letter, the child was referred to Euracare on January 6, 2026, from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital for diagnostic and preparatory procedures ahead of a planned medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist team was reportedly on standby to receive him.
The procedures scheduled at Euracare included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line).
The solicitors stated that intravenous sedation was administered using propofol.
However, complications allegedly arose while the child was being transported to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory following the MRI.
The legal notice claimed that the transfer was carried out under conditions that raised “serious and substantive concerns” regarding compliance with established patient-safety and paediatric anaesthesia protocols.
The child was later pronounced dead in the early hours of January 7.
The notice detailed several alleged lapses, including concerns about the appropriateness and cumulative dosing of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection during deep sedation, and failure to ensure continuous physiological monitoring.
It further alleged that the child was transferred between clinical areas without supplemental oxygen, adequate monitoring, or sufficient accompanying medical personnel, while raising questions over the availability of basic resuscitation equipment and the timeliness of emergency intervention.
Another major grievance cited was the alleged failure of the hospital to adequately disclose the risks and potential side effects of propofol and other anaesthetic agents, thereby undermining the legal requirement for informed consent.
The solicitors described the alleged failures as prima facie breaches of duty of care, rendering the hospital and medical personnel involved liable for medical negligence resulting in death.
As part of their next legal steps, the parents demanded certified copies of all medical records related to their son’s treatment within seven days. These include consent forms, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, ICU notes, incident reports, internal reviews, and the identities of all staff involved.
The hospital was also formally instructed to preserve all physical and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage, monitoring data, pharmacy records, crash-cart logs, and internal communications, with a warning that any destruction or alteration of evidence would attract legal consequences.
Reacting to the incident, Euracare Hospital said it had commenced a detailed internal investigation in line with its clinical governance standards and pledged transparent engagement with regulatory authorities.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government confirmed that it had launched its own probe. Speaking on Sunday, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed that the anaesthesiologist involved had been suspended by the hospital’s management.
“It’s an active investigation. We’ve been to the hospital and the hospital itself is cooperating with us. The doctor involved has been suspended, and continuous interviews are ongoing,” Ogunyemi said, adding that experts would be engaged in line with established investigative protocols.
The controversy deepened following a rebuttal by the child’s aunt and family doctor, Dr Anthea Nwandu, who faulted Euracare’s account of events.
She disputed claims that the child had been treated at two facilities before arriving at Euracare and insisted that international paediatric standards were not followed during sedation and transfer.
Dr Nwandu alleged that the child was not continuously monitored, was transferred without oxygen or resuscitation equipment, and was handled in a manner inconsistent with accepted anaesthetic practice.
Public attention intensified after Chimamanda Adichie, in an emotional statement, accused the hospital of negligence, alleging excessive administration of propofol and failure to monitor her son adequately, leading to seizures, cardiac arrest, and eventual death.
– Newspoint Nigeria
