Renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has issued an extensive statement detailing the events that led to the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, alleging grave medical negligence at a Lagos-based hospital.

 

Adichie’s media representatives confirmed that the statement was personally written by the author. It was initially circulated privately among close relatives and friends before later finding its way into the public domain.

 

According to the account, the family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed symptoms resembling a mild cold. His condition, however, reportedly worsened rapidly and progressed into a severe infection.

 

The child was admitted to Atlantis Hospital, where arrangements were made for him to be airlifted to the United States on January 7, 2026, for specialised treatment. Adichie stated that a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was already prepared to receive him upon arrival.

 

In preparation for the medical evacuation, doctors recommended that Nkanu undergo a lumbar puncture, an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line to facilitate intravenous medication. Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, which Adichie said was presented to them as the most suitable facility to perform the procedures.

 

On the morning of January 6, Adichie and her husband reportedly took their son to Euracare, where he was to be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line placement. While waiting outside the operating theatre, Adichie said she observed unusual and sudden activity.

 

She recalled seeing several medical personnel, including the anesthesiologist identified as Dr. M, rushing into the theatre, immediately sensing that something had gone wrong.

 

Adichie stated that she was later informed that her son had been given an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, rendering him unresponsive. Although doctors reportedly managed to revive him, Nkanu was subsequently intubated, placed on a ventilator and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.

 

She said his condition deteriorated quickly thereafter.

 

“The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Then cardiac arrest. These were things that had never happened to him before,” Adichie recounted, adding that her son passed away a few hours later.

 

The author alleged that Nkanu was inadequately monitored after sedation and that the anesthesiologist carried him into the operating theatre without proper oversight, making it impossible to determine the exact point at which he became unresponsive.

 

“How do you sedate a sick child and fail to monitor him?” she questioned.

 

Adichie further claimed that following the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s oxygen supply and transported him to the ICU in a manner that did not comply with established medical protocols.

 

Describing the incident as criminal negligence, she accused the anesthesiologist of acting with extreme carelessness and disregard for a child’s life.

 

“We brought in a child who was ill but stable and scheduled to travel the following day,” she said. “We only came to carry out routine procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”

 

She also alleged that the family later became aware of at least two prior cases in which the same anesthesiologist was said to have overdosed children, raising serious concerns about why he was permitted to continue practising.

 

“Why was he allowed to keep working at Euracare?” she asked. “This must never happen to another child.”

 

As of the time this report was filed, Euracare Hospital had yet to issue a public response to the allegations.