Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken publicly about the circumstances surrounding the death of her one-year-old son, Nkanu, accusing medical staff at Euracare Hospital, Lagos, of grave negligence.
In a statement released on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Adichie said her family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed symptoms that initially resembled a mild cold. His condition, however, deteriorated rapidly, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital.
According to her account, arrangements were already in place for Nkanu to be flown to the United States on January 7 with accompanying doctors, where a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was prepared to take over his care.
As part of the preparations for the trip, Adichie said doctors recommended several routine procedures, including an MRI scan, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line for intravenous medication. Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, described as one of Lagos’ leading centres for such procedures.
Adichie recounted that on the morning of January 6, she accompanied her son to Euracare, where she was informed he would be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While waiting outside the theatre, she noticed unusual activity and sensed that something had gone wrong.
She said an attending doctor later informed her that Nkanu had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, rendering him unresponsive. Although he was resuscitated, Adichie said her son was placed on a ventilator, intubated, and moved to the intensive care unit. Seizures and cardiac arrest reportedly followed, complications she said Nkanu had never experienced before. He died a few hours later.
Adichie further alleged that after the sedative was administered, Nkanu was not properly monitored, and that the anesthesiologist physically carried him to the theatre without appropriate supervision. She claimed there was uncertainty about when exactly her son became unresponsive.
Describing the conduct of the anesthesiologist as “criminally negligent” and “fatally casual,” Adichie alleged that proper medical protocols were ignored, including switching off her son’s oxygen during transfer to the ICU and handling him without due care.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable, scheduled to travel the next day,” she said. “We came for routine procedures, and within hours, our beautiful little boy was gone. It is a nightmare no parent should ever live through.”
Adichie also claimed the family later learned of at least two previous incidents involving the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosing children, questioning why he was allowed to continue practicing.
“This must never happen to another child,” she said, calling for accountability and stricter safeguards in medical practice.