Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has slammed Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos, with a legal notice, accusing the hospital and its medical team of gross medical negligence over the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi Esege.
The legal action, dated January 10, 2026, was issued by solicitors led by Prof. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) on behalf of Adichie and her partner, Dr. Ivara Esege, following the child’s death in the early hours of January 7, 2026, after undergoing multiple medical procedures at the hospital.
Adichie alleged that Euracare, its anaesthesiologist and attending medical personnel breached their duty of care, acted unprofessionally and failed to follow basic paediatric safety protocols.
The late toddler was referred to Euracare on January 6 from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital for diagnostic and preparatory procedures ahead of an emergency medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist team was reportedly on standby.
The procedures included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, PICC line insertion and lumbar puncture, during which propofol sedation was administered.
However, the legal notice alleged that during transportation to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory after the MRI, the child developed sudden and severe complications, allegedly due to unsafe transfer conditions and poor monitoring while still under sedation.
The child was later pronounced dead.
The parents accused the hospital of inappropriate dosing of propofol, failure to protect the child’s airway, lack of continuous monitoring, transfer without oxygen, absence of adequate medical personnel, and failure to provide essential resuscitation equipment.
They also alleged delayed response to respiratory and cardiovascular distress and a complete breakdown of standard paediatric anaesthesia and patient-safety protocols.
Another major grievance was Euracare’s alleged failure to properly disclose the risks of anaesthetic drugs, amounting to lack of informed consent.
The parents demanded certified copies of all medical records relating to their son’s treatment within seven days, including consent forms, anaesthetic charts, monitoring logs, ICU records, incident reports and names of all medical staff involved.
They also placed the hospital on notice to preserve all evidence, including CCTV footage, electronic monitoring data, drug records and internal communications, warning that any tampering would amount to obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered a probe into the incident following public outrage.
