Korede Abdullah 
Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
LAGOS, Nigeria – Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos of frustrating a coroner’s inquest into the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege, amid disciplinary action against three medical practitioners over alleged negligence.
In a public letter addressed to the hospital’s board chairman and shared on Instagram on Saturday, Adichie said she decided to speak publicly because “silence was no longer an option”.
Her statement comes as the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel suspended the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Tunde Majekodunmi, alongside two other practitioners over allegations relating to the child’s treatment and death.
Adichie alleges that the hospital initially supported the coroner’s inquiry but later sought legal action to halt the process.
“Most egregiously, Euracare is now asking a High Court to stop the inquest. An inquest is a public judicial inquiry designed to establish the circumstances surrounding a death. It is not a trial. It is not a claim for damages. It is simply a search for the truth,” she wrote.
She further claims that the hospital’s medical director admitted mistakes in her son’s care shortly after the child’s death.
“The day after Nkanu died, on January 8, the medical director visited our home in Ikoyi and admitted the errors made by the anesthesiologist. He accepted full responsibility,” Adichie stated.
According to the novelist, the anaesthesiologist administered “too much propofol” during the procedure, while post-sedation monitoring was inadequate.
She also alleges that promised medical records and reports were not fully provided to the family.
“We were later startled to see that Euracare had indicated that his cause of death was bacterial and fungal meningitis. This is inaccurate. There was no medical evidence to make such a claim on his death certificate,” she said.
About the Author
Mirian Gom 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Oluwafunbi Bello 