Popular Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has released a detailed statement describing the circumstances surrounding the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, alleging medical negligence at a Lagos hospital.

Adichie’s media team confirmed that she authored the statement, noting that it was initially shared privately with family members and close friends before becoming public.

According to the statement, the family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what appeared to be a minor cold, which later deteriorated into a serious infection.

He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital, where plans were made for him to be flown to the United States on January 7, 2026, for advanced treatment. A medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was reportedly on standby to receive him.

As part of preparations for the trip, doctors requested that Nkanu undergo a lumbar puncture test, an MRI scan, and the insertion of a central line to administer intravenous medications.

Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, which Adichie said wasrecommended as the best facility to carry out the procedures.

On the morning of January 6, Adichie said she and her husband took their son to Euracare, where he was to be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. She stated that while waiting outside the operating theatre, she noticed unusual activity.

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

Adichie recounted that she was later informed her son had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, causing him to become unresponsive.

Although she was told he was resuscitated, Nkanu was subsequently placed on a ventilator, intubated and moved to the Intensive Care Unit.

She said the situation rapidly worsened.

“The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before,” Adichie stated, adding that her son died a few hours later.

The author alleged that Nkanu was not properly monitored after being sedated and that the anesthesiologist carried him into the theatre without adequate supervision, making it unclear when he became unresponsive.

“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she asked.

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

Describing the incident as criminal negligence, Adichie accused the anesthesiologist of being “fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child.”

“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day,” she said. “We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”

Adichie also claimed that the family has since learned of at least two previous cases in which the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosed children, raising questions about why he was allowed to continue practising.

“Why did Euracare allow him to keep working?” she asked. “This must never happen to another child.”

As of the time of filing this report, Euracare Hospital had not publicly responded to the allegations.

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