CITIZENS COMPASS— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning Nigerian author, on Saturday, recounted how her son died at Euracare Hospital in Lagos State.
Adichie said her son, 21-month-old Nkanu Nnamdi, died from what she described as avoidable circumstances.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Narrating the circumstances leading to her son’s death, the Author in a statement, alleged medical negligence in the hospital.
She said both mother and son were initially at the Atlantis hospital but were referred to Euracare Hospital.
The author narrated how she assumed that her son developed a cold which later turned out to be an infection.
Adichie said Nkanu was billed to embark on a medical trip to the United States on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at Johns Hopkins which requested a lumbar puncture test and an MRI.
According to her, “The Nigerian team had also decided to put in a ‘central line’ (used to administer IV medications) in preparation for Nkanu’s flight. Atlantis hospital referred us to Euracare Hospital, which was said to be the best place to have the procedures done.
“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. 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.
“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 would become unresponsive.
“The anesthesiologist was CRIMINALLY negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed. We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day. We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has ordered an investigation into the death of the 21-year-old boy.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed this in a statement.
The Commissioner said Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu had directed the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) to carry out a “thorough, independent and transparent” probe into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
“The Lagos State Government places the highest value on human life and maintains zero tolerance for medical negligence or unprofessional conduct in any health facility operating within the state,” the statement said.
