How Medical Negligence Killed My Son At Lagos Hospital – Chimamanda Adichie

Award-winning Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos hospital of medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.

KanyiDaily recalls that Nkanu Nnamdi passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, after a brief illness.

ARISE News reported that Adichie’s media team confirmed she authored a statement explaining what happened.

They said the message was initially shared privately with family members and close friends before becoming public.

In her statement, Adichie said her son was taken to Euracare Hospital for an MRI scan and the placement of a central line.

She alleged that the boy was sedated for the procedures but was not properly monitored afterward.

According to her, complications followed, including loss of consciousness, seizures, and eventually cardiac arrest.

Chimamanda Adichie stated that her son “would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6th,” where he was taken for medical procedures.

The writer explained that the family had travelled to Lagos for Christmas when her son developed what seemed like a minor cold, which later became a serious infection.

“We were in Lagos for Christmas. Nkanu had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection, and he was admitted to Atlantis Hospital.

“He was to travel to the US the next day, January 7th, accompanied by travelling doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore. The Hopkins team had asked for a lumbar puncture test and an MRI,” she said.

She said Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare Hospital, “which was said to be the best place to have the procedures done.”

“The Nigerian team had also decided to put in a ‘central line’ (used to administer IV medications) in preparation for Nkanu’s flight. The morning of the 6th, we left Atlantis Hospital for Euracare, Nkanu carried in his father’s arms.

“We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the ‘central line’ procedure.

“I was waiting just outside the theatre. I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened,” she stated.

Adichie said she was later informed that the anesthesiologist had administered too much propofol, causing her son to become unresponsive before he was revived.

“A short time later, Dr M came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist, had become unresponsive and was quickly resuscitated,” she said.

She added that her son was then placed on a ventilator and moved to the intensive care unit, where he later developed seizures and suffered cardiac arrest.

“But suddenly, Nkanu was on a ventilator; he was intubated and placed in the ICU. The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone,” she said.

Adichie further alleged that her son was not adequately monitored after sedation and accused the anesthesiologist of severe negligence.

She claimed no proper safety procedures were followed and questioned how a sick child could be sedated without close supervision.

“It turns out that Nkanu was never monitored after being given too much propofol. The anesthesiologist had just casually carried Nkanu on his shoulder to the theatre, so nobody knows when exactly Nkanu became unresponsive.

“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him? Later, after the ‘central line’ procedure, the anesthesiologist casually switched off Nkanu’s oxygen and again decided to carry him on his shoulder to the ICU!

“The anesthesiologist was CRIMINALLY negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed.”

She said the family brought in “a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day” for what she described as “basic procedures,” but lost him unexpectedly.

“And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever. It is like living your worst nightmare. I will never survive the loss of my child,” she said.

Adichie also claimed they later learned of previous cases involving the same anesthesiologist, raising questions about why the hospital continued to allow him to practise.

“We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working?” she asked, adding, “This must never happen to another child.”

When contacted for a response, Euracare Hospital declined to comment in detail, saying the matter should be addressed directly with Adichie.

“Whatever information you need, you get it between us and Chimamanda. Thank you,” the hospital said.

KanyiDaily recalls that in 2025, Chimamanda Adichie revealed she kept the birth of her twin boys from the public to “protect” them.