Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has given a harrowing account of the circumstances surrounding the death of her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi, alleging grave medical negligence by an anesthesiologist at a Lagos hospital.
In an emotional statement shared on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Adichie recounted that her family had been in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a mild cold. His condition, however, rapidly deteriorated into a serious infection, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital in Lagos.
According to Adichie, plans were already in place for Nkanu to be flown to the United States on January 7 under the care of travelling doctors, with a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore prepared to receive him. Ahead of the journey, doctors recommended a lumbar puncture, an MRI scan, and the insertion of a central line to administer intravenous medication.
Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, described to them as the most suitable facility to carry out the procedures. On the morning of January 6, Nkanu was taken to Euracare, carried by his father, and prepared for sedation to enable the MRI and central line insertion.
Adichie said she was waiting outside the operating theatre when she noticed a sudden rush of medical staff into the room, immediately sensing that something had gone wrong. She was later informed that Nkanu had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, rendering him unresponsive.
Although she was told her son had been resuscitated, Adichie said he was abruptly placed on a ventilator, intubated, and moved to the intensive care unit. She added that Nkanu later suffered seizures and cardiac arrest—conditions he had never experienced before. Hours later, he was pronounced dead.
The author alleged that Nkanu was never properly monitored after the sedative was administered and claimed the anesthesiologist carried her unresponsive son casually on his shoulder, leaving uncertainty over when he lost consciousness. She further alleged that after the central line procedure, the same doctor switched off her son’s oxygen and again transported him without appropriate monitoring.
Describing the actions as “criminally negligent,” Adichie accused the anesthesiologist of failing to follow basic medical protocols while handling the life of a critically ill child.
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“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day,” she wrote. “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, questioning why the hospital allowed him to continue practicing.
Calling for accountability, she said the tragedy must not be allowed to happen to another family, describing the loss of her son as a living nightmare from which she may never recover.
As of the time of filing this report, Euracare Hospital has not publicly responded to the allegations.