Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has released a statement alleging medical negligence in the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, following a medical procedure at a Lagos hospital.
According to ARISE NEWS, Adichie authored the statement through her media representatives, adding that it was initially shared privately with close family and friends before later becoming public.
Per Adichie’s account, her son fell ill while the family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays. What first appeared to be a mild cold quickly worsened into a severe infection, leading to his admission to Atlantis Hospital.
Plans were already underway for Nkanu to be flown to the United States on January 7, accompanied by a medical team, with specialists at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore prepared to receive him.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable, scheduled to travel the next day. We came for basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever,” Adichie said, describing the loss as her “worst nightmare”.
As part of the pre-travel medical preparations, doctors recommended an MRI scan, a lumbar puncture and the insertion of a central line to administer intravenous medication.
Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, which Adichie said was presented as the most suitable facility to perform the procedures.
In her account, Adichie said her son was taken to Euracare Hospital on the morning of January 6 and sedated to prevent movement during the procedures. While waiting outside the operating theatre, she said she noticed a sudden sense of urgency among medical staff.
She was later informed that Nkanu had allegedly been given an excessive dose of the anaesthetic drug propofol, became unresponsive and had to be resuscitated. He was subsequently placed on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Adichie said her son later suffered seizures and cardiac arrest, complications she noted had never occurred previously, and died several hours later.
In her statement, Adichie alleged that her son was not adequately monitored after sedation and accused the attending anaesthesiologist of failing to follow standard medical protocols. She further claimed that oxygen support was switched off prematurely after the central line procedure.
“The anaesthesiologist was criminally negligent,” Adichie wrote, alleging carelessness and disregard for established safety procedures. She also claimed she had since learned of at least two other cases in which children were allegedly overdosed by the same practitioner, raising concerns about institutional oversight.
The allegations have triggered widespread public reaction, with many Nigerians expressing grief, anger and renewed concern over patient safety and accountability within the country’s healthcare system.
As of publication, Euracare Hospital had not issued a public response to the allegations.