Renowned Nigerian author and global literary icon, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has released a deeply emotional statement detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, an incident she alleges was caused by grave medical negligence at a private hospital in Lagos.
ARISE News confirmed on Wednesday that Adichie personally authored the statement, which was initially circulated privately among family members and close friends before finding its way into the public domain. Her media representatives verified its authenticity, noting that the writer decided to speak out in order to seek accountability and prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families.
In the statement, Adichie disclosed that her son fell ill while the family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays. What initially appeared to be a minor cold rapidly deteriorated into a severe infection, necessitating his admission to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos. According to her account, despite the seriousness of the infection, Nkanu was stable and arrangements had already been made for his transfer to the United States for advanced care.
She revealed that Nkanu was scheduled to travel to the United States on January 7, 2026, accompanied by a team of travelling doctors, with specialists at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore prepared to receive him. As part of the pre-transfer medical requirements, the Johns Hopkins team requested specific procedures, including a lumbar puncture and an MRI scan. The Nigerian medical team also planned to insert a central line to facilitate intravenous medication during the flight.
Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital in Lagos, which, Adichie said, was described to them as the most suitable facility to conduct the required procedures. On the morning of January 6, the family left Atlantis Hospital for Euracare, with Nkanu carried in his father’s arms. Adichie said she was informed that her son would need to be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and the central line insertion.
According to her account, she was waiting outside the operating theatre when she noticed unusual activity. She said she saw several medical personnel, including a doctor she identified as Dr. M, rushing into the theatre, an occurrence that immediately alarmed her.
Shortly afterwards, Adichie said Dr. M informed her that the anesthesiologist had administered an excessive dose of propofol to Nkanu, causing him to become unresponsive. She was told that he was resuscitated, but events quickly spiralled. Nkanu was placed on a ventilator, intubated, and transferred to the intensive care unit. She later learned that he had suffered seizures and cardiac arrest—medical emergencies that, according to her, he had never experienced prior to that moment.
“Some hours later, Nkanu was gone,” Adichie wrote, describing the loss as devastating and irreversible.
In her statement, Adichie alleged that following the overdose, her son was never properly monitored, a failure she described as incomprehensible and dangerous. She claimed that the anesthesiologist carried the sedated child casually on his shoulder into the theatre, making it impossible to determine precisely when Nkanu became unresponsive.
She further alleged that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s oxygen supply and again carried him on his shoulder while moving him to the ICU. Adichie described these actions as reckless and contrary to established medical protocols.
“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she asked in the statement, expressing disbelief and anguish.
Adichie accused the anesthesiologist of “criminal negligence,” describing his conduct as fatally casual and careless with the life of a vulnerable child. She alleged that no proper protocol was followed during or after the administration of anesthesia, arguing that basic standards of care were ignored.
According to her, the family brought a child who, though unwell, was stable and preparing for international transfer for further treatment. The procedures at Euracare, she said, were meant to be routine and preparatory. Instead, she wrote, the family was plunged into what she described as their “worst nightmare.”
In one of the most harrowing passages of the statement, Adichie wrote that she does not know how she will survive the loss of her child, underscoring the profound emotional toll of the tragedy.
The author also raised serious concerns about the hospital’s oversight and accountability mechanisms. She claimed that the family has since learned of at least two previous cases in which the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosed children. She questioned why Euracare Hospital allowed the practitioner to continue working if such incidents had occurred before.
“This must never happen to another child,” she wrote, calling for urgent action and systemic reform.
The statement has sparked widespread reactions across Nigeria and beyond, with many calling for a thorough, transparent investigation into the incident. Medical professionals, legal experts, and child welfare advocates have emphasized the need for accountability, adherence to patient safety protocols, and stronger regulation of private healthcare facilities.
So far, Euracare Hospital has not issued a detailed public response addressing the specific allegations raised by Adichie. Calls are growing for regulatory authorities, including the Lagos State Ministry of Health and relevant professional bodies, to intervene and ensure that the matter is independently investigated.
Adichie, celebrated worldwide for works such as Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah, and Purple Hibiscus, has long been a prominent voice on social justice and human dignity. Her decision to speak publicly about her personal tragedy has amplified the conversation around patient safety, medical ethics, and the accountability of healthcare institutions in Nigeria.
As the story continues to unfold, many observers say the case could become a watershed moment in the push for stricter enforcement of medical standards and greater protection for patients, particularly children, within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
3 Comments
Spme of these hospitals in are always so negligent when it comes to taking care of patients (especially babies) properly.
That’s how I found my 23 day old baby dead with food pouring out of her mouth while the nurse who is supposed to be monitoring the babies in the NICU just sat there engrossed with her phone. This happened at x-serve children’s hospital. I took my daughter who only had skin issues to that hospital for treatment but instead they killed her due to wrong diagnosis, negligence and lack of care. All they were after was their money while my daughter suffered and eventually died.
Some of these hospitals in are always so negligent when it comes to taking care of patients (especially babies) properly.
That’s how I found my 23 day old baby dead with food pouring out of her mouth while the nurse who is supposed to be monitoring the babies in the NICU just sat there engrossed with her phone. This happened at x-serve children’s hospital. I took my daughter who only had skin issues to that hospital for treatment but instead they killed her due to wrong diagnosis, negligence and lack of care. All they were after was their money while my daughter suffered and eventually died.
So sorry for your loss. May her soul rest in peace.