Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos hospital of fatal negligence in the death of her 21-month-old son, alleging an overdose of sedative and lack of monitoring during routine procedures led to his sudden passing earlier this week.
Adichie detailed the ordeal in a private message to family and friends, later confirmed by her media team, claiming her son Nkanu Nnamdi was stable but unwell when taken to Euracare Hospital on January 6 for an MRI scan and central line insertion ahead of a planned flight to the United States for further treatment.
“We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the ‘central line’ procedure,” Adichie wrote. “I was waiting just outside the theatre. I saw people… rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened.”
She said a doctor informed her the anesthesiologist had administered too much propofol, rendering the child unresponsive before resuscitation, but complications escalated to seizures and cardiac arrest, resulting in his death hours later.
“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,” Adichie stated. “All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone.”
Adichie lambasted the anesthesiologist’s “criminally negligent” handling, saying: “The anesthesiologist was CRIMINALLY negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed.”
She alleged the child was not monitored post-sedation and was carried casually between rooms, including with oxygen switched off after the procedure.
“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” Adichie questioned, adding the family had learned of two prior cases involving the same doctor overdosing children. “Why did Euracare allow him to keep working? This must never happen to another child.”
The author expressed profound grief: “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.”
Euracare Hospital, when contacted, declined detailed comment, with a spokesperson saying: “Whatever information you need, you get it between us and Chimamanda.”
Adichie, known for works like “Americanah,” and her husband, doctor Ivara Esege, had been in Lagos for Christmas when the boy fell ill, initially thought to be a cold but escalating into a severe infection.
Prominent figures including President Bola Tinubu and former candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have offered condolences to the family.
