Alleges Medical Negligence at Lagos Hospital
By ABNews Correspondent
Renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has recounted the painful circumstances surrounding the death of her young son, Nkanu, alleging gross medical negligence during a medical procedure at a Lagos hospital. She made the disclosure in a detailed post shared on her official Twitter (X) account on Friday.
According to Chimamanda, the family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a cold but later progressed into a severe infection, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital. Plans were already in place for him to be flown to the United States on January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors, with a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore prepared to receive him.
She explained that the Johns Hopkins team had requested an MRI scan and a lumbar puncture test, while the Nigerian medical team also decided to insert a “central line” in preparation for the international transfer. Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, described to them as the best facility to carry out the procedures.
On the morning of January 6, Chimamanda said her son was taken to Euracare Hospital, carried by his father, and was to be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line procedure.
“I was waiting just outside the theatre when I saw people, including a doctor, rushing in. I immediately knew something had gone wrong,” she wrote.
She stated that she was later informed that Nkanu had been given an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, became unresponsive, and had to be resuscitated. Shortly after, he was placed on a ventilator, intubated, and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Then cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone,” she added.
Chimamanda further alleged that her son was never properly monitored after the sedative was administered, stating that the anesthesiologist carried him on his shoulder to the theatre, making it unclear when exactly he became unresponsive.
She also accused the anesthesiologist of switching off her son’s oxygen after the central line procedure and again carrying him on his shoulder to the ICU, describing the actions as “fatally casual and careless.”
“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she questioned, describing the conduct as criminally negligent and a complete violation of standard medical protocols.
Emphasizing that Nkanu was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day, Chimamanda said the family had gone in only for routine procedures.
“We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever. It is like living your worst nightmare,” she wrote, adding that the loss of her child is something she believes she may never recover from.
In a further troubling revelation, Chimamanda claimed the family has since learned of at least two previous cases in which the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosed children.
“Why did Euracare allow him to keep working? This must never happen to another child,” she said, calling for accountability and safeguards to prevent similar tragedies.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Euracare Hospital nor the medical professionals involved had issued an official response to the allegations. The case is expected to spark renewed public debate on patient safety, medical oversight, and accountability within Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in private medical facilities.
