Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie has once again expressed profound grief over the death of her son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege, stating that losing him has shattered her family's lives. In a letter dated April 16, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Adichie poured out her heart over the tragic loss.
Details of the Tragedy
Nkanu, the 21-month-old son of Adichie and her husband Dr. Ivara Esege, passed away in January 2026 after receiving care at Atlantis Hospital and undergoing medical procedures at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos. The incident led to the suspension of the hospital’s Medical Director and two others by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel. The panel also suspended anesthesiologist Dr. Titus Ogundare of Euracare Hospital and Dr. Atinuke Uwajeh, Chief Medical Officer at Atlantis Pediatric Hospital. All three were suspended from medical practice in Nigeria pending a determination by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal after a prima facie case of medical negligence was established against them in the management of Nkanu’s health.
Adichie's Emotional Letter
In her heartfelt letter, Adichie wrote: “Our twin boys were our precious and perfect gifts. My husband and I were so grateful to be blessed with them. They brought us, and their older sister, so much happiness. To have Nkanu gone so cruelly, so unfairly, so carelessly, has brought an inexpressible pain. In truth, this loss is too much for us, too inconceivable. As each day passes, the darkness blackens even more. We have endured losses in the past but this is singular in its ability to permanently change the shape of the world.”
She continued: “We have lost the present and we have lost the future. We have been robbed of the blessing that raising Nkanu would have been. Our ten-year-old daughter has shut down. Our son is confused and asks often for his twin. The other day he pointed to a set of their matching pyjamas and said, ‘This is for KanKan.’ He is now forever bereft of his brother. Our relatives who adored Nkanu are all suffering.”
Adichie added: “Losing Nkanu has shattered our lives and our hearts. But I should not be writing all these details to you. It is an indictment of Euracare that I feel compelled to write them as a reminder that a much-beloved child, a precious human being, is gone. Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. The least any parent who has suffered such a loss deserves is the peace and privacy to grieve. Euracare has deprived us of that. We have instead had to contend with actions from Euracare that have poisoned – and continue to poison – our mourning.”
Legal Battle Over Inquest
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), and the presiding coroner for the Lagos Coroner’s District have challenged a suit seeking to halt the ongoing inquest into Nkanu’s death. The respondents urged the court to dismiss the application in its entirety, describing it as an attempt to circumvent established legal procedures. The application is contained in a preliminary objection dated June 5, 2026, filed in response to a judicial review application instituted by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital. Euracare had earlier secured an interim order from Justice A.O. Opesanwo of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikoyi, staying proceedings in the inquest pending the determination of its substantive application. In the suit, the hospital is seeking orders of certiorari and prohibition to quash decisions of the coroner and restrain further proceedings in the inquest. However, in their objection, the respondents comprising the Coroner, Chief Coroner and Attorney-General of Lagos State argued that the suit is incompetent, premature and constitutes an abuse of court process. In a joint written address, they contended that the applicant failed to establish any legal basis for invoking the supervisory jurisdiction of the High Court through judicial review.
