SOURCE: msn

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

Chimamanda Adichie claims medical negligence led to death of her son. Photo: Chimamanda Adichie. Source: Twitter

In a statement dated Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Adichie alleged that her son died after complications arose during a medical procedure at Euracare Hospital in Lagos.

ARISE News reported on Saturday that Adichie’s media team confirmed she authored the statement, which was initially shared privately with family members and close friends.

According to Adichie, her son was taken to Euracare Hospital for an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line, procedures that required sedation.

She alleged that after being administered propofol, Nkanu was not properly monitored, leading to severe complications including loss of responsiveness, seizures and, ultimately, cardiac arrest.

“He would be alive today if not for the incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6th,” Adichie stated.

She explained that her family had been in Lagos for Christmas when her son developed what they initially believed was a cold, which later progressed into a serious infection.

Nkanu was admitted to Atlantis Hospital and was scheduled to travel to the United States the following day, January 7, 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.

Adichie said Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare Hospital, which they were told was best equipped to conduct the procedures.

The Nigerian medical team had also decided to insert a central line in preparation for the flight.

On the morning of January 6, Adichie said she waited outside the theatre as her son underwent the procedures.

“I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened,” she recalled.

She was later informed that the anesthesiologist had administered an excessive dose of propofol, causing Nkanu to become unresponsive.

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

Nkanu was placed on a ventilator, intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit, where he later developed seizures and suffered cardiac arrest.

Adichie alleged that her son was never properly monitored after sedation and described the anesthesiologist’s conduct as criminally negligent.

“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 knew when exactly he became unresponsive,” she said.

She further claimed that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s oxygen and carried him to the ICU without following proper protocol.

“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she asked. “The anesthesiologist was criminally negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child.”

Adichie said the family had brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day, or what she described as basic medical procedures.

“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.

She also alleged that the family later learned of previous incidents involving the same anaesthesiologist.

“We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working?” she asked.

She added:

“This must never happen to another child.”