Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos-based hospital of medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
ARISE News reported on Saturday that Adichie’s media team confirmed she authored the statement, which was initially shared privately with family and close friends.
According to Adichie, her son passed away due to complications at Euracare Hospital, where he had been taken for an MRI scan and central line insertion. She claimed that he was sedated with propofol but was not adequately monitored, leading to loss of responsiveness, seizures, and ultimately cardiac arrest.
Adichie said her son “would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6,” when he underwent the procedures.
She explained that the family had been in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu initially developed what seemed to be a cold, which later escalated into a severe infection requiring admission at Atlantis Hospital.
Plans were already underway for Nkanu to be flown to the United States on January 7, accompanied by medical personnel, with a team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore ready to receive him. The US doctors requested an MRI scan and a lumbar puncture test.
Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare Hospital, considered the most suitable facility for the procedures. The medical team also decided to insert a central line in preparation for the flight.
On the morning of January 6, the family traveled from Atlantis Hospital to Euracare, with Nkanu carried by his father. Adichie said she was told sedation was required to prevent movement during the procedures.
“I was waiting just outside the theatre. When I saw people, including Dr M, rushing in, I immediately knew something had gone wrong,” she said.
Adichie alleged that her son received an excessive dose of propofol. She said: “A short time later, Dr M came out and told me that Nkanu had been given too much propofol, had become unresponsive, and was resuscitated.”
Nkanu was then intubated, placed on a ventilator, and admitted to the ICU, where he later suffered seizures and cardiac arrest.
Adichie criticized the hospital for not properly monitoring her son after sedation, calling the anesthesiologist’s actions “criminally negligent.” She said the family had brought in a sick but stable child for routine procedures, only to lose him unexpectedly.
She also raised concerns about previous incidents involving the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosing children, questioning why he was still allowed to practice.
“This must never happen to another child,” she added.
Euracare Hospital issued a brief response, stating: “Whatever information you need, you get it between us and Chimamanda. Thank you.”
Following Nkanu’s death, prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former presidential candidate Peter Obi, expressed their condolences to Adichie and her family.