Renowned Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has formally issued a legal notice to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos, accusing the facility and its medical personnel of negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi Esege.
The legal notice, dated January 10, 2026, was served by solicitors representing Adichie and her partner, Dr. Ivara Esege. It alleges that Euracare, its anaesthesiologist, and other attending staff breached their duty of care during a series of medical procedures that preceded the child’s death in the early hours of January 7.
Nkanu, born on March 25, 2024, had been referred to Euracare from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital on January 6 for diagnostic and preparatory procedures ahead of a planned medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist team was reportedly on standby.
The procedures included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, insertion of a PICC line, and a lumbar puncture, during which intravenous sedation using propofol was administered.
According to the notice, the child developed sudden and severe complications while being transferred to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory after the MRI.
The parents allege that he was moved between clinical areas under conditions that raised serious concerns about compliance with patient-safety protocols. He was later pronounced dead.
The notice outlines several alleged lapses in paediatric anaesthetic and procedural care, including questions over the appropriateness and cumulative dosing of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection, and failure to ensure continuous physiological monitoring.
The parents further claim their son was transferred without supplemental oxygen, adequate monitoring, or sufficient accompanying medical personnel.
Additional concerns cited include the alleged absence of basic resuscitation equipment during transfers, delayed response to signs of respiratory or cardiovascular distress, and a failure to adhere to established paediatric anaesthesia and patient-transfer protocols.
The notice also alleges that the risks and potential side effects of anaesthetic agents were not properly disclosed, raising questions about informed consent.
The parents have demanded certified copies of all medical records related to their son’s treatment within seven days.
These include admission notes, consent forms, anaesthetic records, monitoring logs, nursing notes, ICU records, incident reports, and the identities of all staff involved.
They also requested internal reviews, safety logs, and any other documentation linked to the child’s care.
Euracare has been placed on formal notice to preserve all relevant physical and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage, monitoring data, drug inventory records, emergency equipment logs, and internal communications.
The solicitors warned that any loss or alteration of evidence would be treated as obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered an official probe into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, following widespread public concern.
Responding to Euracare’s public statement denying negligence, the child’s aunt, Dr. Anthea Esege Nwandu, a dual board-certified internal medicine physician with decades of experience in Nigeria and the United States, disputed the hospital’s account.
She alleged inconsistencies and claimed international medical standards were not followed, including continuous oxygen therapy, proper monitoring, and the use of resuscitative equipment during patient transfers.
Adichie herself has described the incident as a case of grave professional failure, alleging that proper protocols were ignored. Euracare has expressed sympathy to the family but maintains it acted in line with accepted medical standards.
The case has sparked renewed public debate about patient safety, accountability, and standards of care in Nigeria’s private healthcare sector, as legal and regulatory scrutiny of the incident intensifies.