Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has issued a legal notice demanding accountability from a private hospital in Lagos over alleged medical negligence and professional impropriety following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi Adichie-Esege.
In a detailed legal notice dated 10 January 2026, solicitors acting for Adichie and her partner, Dr. Ivara Esege, alleged that the hospital, its anaesthesiologist, and other attending medical personnel breached the duty of care owed to their son, who died in the early hours of 7 January 2026 after undergoing a series of medical procedures.
According to the notice, the child, born on 25 March 2024, was referred to the Lagos hospital on 6 January 2026 from Atlantis Paediatric Hospital for diagnostic and preparatory procedures ahead of an urgent medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist medical team was reportedly on standby.
The procedures reportedly included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture, during which intravenous sedation was allegedly administered using propofol.
However, the notice alleged that during transportation to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory following the MRI, the child developed sudden and severe complications. Despite being under sedation, he was reportedly transferred between clinical areas under conditions that raised “serious and substantive concerns” regarding compliance with patient-safety protocols. He was later pronounced dead in the early hours of 7 January.
The legal notice, issued without prejudice to the parents’ rights and signed by a law firm led by Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, outlined multiple alleged lapses in paediatric anaesthetic and procedural care.
These include concerns over the appropriateness and cumulative dosing of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection during deep sedation, and an alleged failure to ensure continuous physiological monitoring.
The parents further alleged that their son was transferred without supplemental oxygen, without adequate monitoring equipment, and without sufficient accompanying medical personnel. They also raised concerns about the availability of basic resuscitation equipment, delayed recognition and management of respiratory or cardiovascular compromise, and an alleged failure to comply with established paediatric anaesthesia, patient-transfer, and safety protocols.
Another key grievance cited was the alleged failure of the hospital to adequately disclose the risks and potential side effects of propofol and other anaesthetic agents, thereby undermining the legal requirement for informed consent.
According to the solicitors, these alleged lapses constitute prima facie breaches of the duty of care and may render the hospital and the medical personnel involved liable for medical negligence resulting in the child’s death.
As part of the next legal steps, the parents have demanded certified copies of all medical records relating to their son’s treatment within seven days of receipt of the notice. The requested documents include admission notes, consent forms, pre-anaesthetic assessments, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, procedural notes, nursing observations, ICU records, incident reports, and the identities of all medical staff involved.
The demand also extends to internal reviews, MRI suite safety logs, and any other documentation connected to the child’s care.
The hospital has further been placed on formal notice to preserve all relevant evidence, whether physical or electronic. This includes CCTV footage from procedure rooms and corridors, electronic monitoring data, pharmacy and drug inventory records, crash-cart and emergency equipment logs, internal communications, and any morbidity and mortality reviews.
The solicitors warned that any destruction, alteration, or loss of evidence after receipt of the notice would be treated as suppression of evidence and obstruction of justice, with attendant legal consequences. They further stated that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated timeframe would leave the parents with no option but to pursue all available legal, regulatory, and judicial remedies.
Lagos Government Orders Probe
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has ordered an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of medical negligence surrounding the child’s death.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu issued the directive through the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) following public concern generated by Ms. Adichie’s account of the incident.
According to an official statement, the Governor directed HEFAMAA to commence a “thorough, independent, and transparent investigation” into the circumstances of the case, with the objective of identifying both the immediate and underlying causes of death.
The probe will include a review of clinical procedures and treatment protocols, assessment of professional conduct and ethical compliance, evaluation of patient-safety measures at the facility, and scrutiny of the roles and responsibilities of all medical and administrative personnel involved.