Adichie Accuses Lagos Hospital Of Blocking Probe Into Son’s Death
Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has accused Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos, of negligence and actions she said had hindered investigations into the death of her twin son, Nkanu.
In a post shared on Instagram on Saturday, Adichie alleged that the hospital had engaged in conduct aimed at delaying inquiries into the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.
Nkanu, the 21-month-old son of the author, died on January 7, 2026, following a brief illness.
Adichie, who published a letter she said she wrote to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, stated that she decided to make the letter public because, according to her, remaining silent was not an option.
The author alleged that the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Tosin Majekodunmi, initially accepted responsibility for errors made during her son’s treatment.
“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. He also said that he would fire the anesthesiologist, Dr Titus Ogundare,” Adichie alleged.
She, however, claimed that the hospital’s position subsequently changed.
Adichie further alleged that the hospital failed to provide the situation reports and medical records it had promised her family, and that the records eventually released were incomplete.
According to her, Majekodunmi told her that the anesthesiologist had administered “too much propofol” to her son.
“On January 6, at Euracare hospital, the Medical Director, Dr Tosin Majekodunmi, whom I considered a friend and trusted as a physician, told me that the anesthesiologist had given my son Nkanu ‘too much propofol.’ Those were his exact words to me after I saw him rushing into the Cath lab where Nkanu was,” Adichie wrote.
She further alleged that her son was not properly monitored after sedation and that complications arising from the procedure led to his death.
Adichie also disputed the cause of death stated on her son’s death certificate.
“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 stated.
The author also criticised the hospital’s handling of the matter through its legal representatives.
“Euracare lawyers wrote a letter referring to our son’s death as a ‘dispute.’ This kind of language is baffling in its heartlessness,” she stated.
Adichie further alleged that although the hospital initially applied for a coroner’s inquest into the death, it later took steps that, in her view, delayed the process.
According to her, the hospital has also approached a High Court in relation to the inquest proceedings.
“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 stated.
When contacted for comment, an official of the hospital who answered the call declined to comment on the allegations and asked our correspondent to visit the hospital to obtain the management’s response.
As of the time of filing this report, the hospital had not issued an official response to the claims made by Adichie.
