Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her husband, Ivara Esege, have asked the Lagos State High Court to dismiss a suit filed by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital seeking to stop a coroner’s inquest into the death of their 21-month-old son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege.
The couple’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, made the application on Monday, describing the hospital’s case as premature.
Pinheiro argued that the coroner had not made any finding or reached a conclusion that could be subjected to judicial review by the High Court.
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twins, died on January 7, 2026, following complications during a series of preparatory medical procedures at Euracare Hospital.
A coroner sitting in the Igbosere Magisterial District in Yaba began an inquest in February to investigate the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
During the proceedings, it emerged that Nkanu’s remains had been cremated, raising questions about the possibility of conducting a forensic examination of the body.
Euracare subsequently approached the Lagos State High Court, asking it to review the coroner’s assumption of jurisdiction and the way the inquest was initiated and conducted. The hospital also challenged the coroner’s jurisdiction in view of the fact that the child’s body had been cremated before the inquest began.
In June, the High Court ordered a temporary suspension of the inquest pending the determination of the judicial review case. The coroner thereafter adjourned the proceedings until October.
At Monday’s hearing, Pinheiro told the court that the coroner’s proceedings were still at a preliminary stage, adding that no witness had testified and no evidence had formally been presented.
He argued that Euracare’s application was an attempt to challenge a decision that the coroner had not yet made.
The senior lawyer also relied on Section 21 of the Lagos State Coroners’ System Law, arguing that the provision allows an inquest to continue even when a body has been destroyed or cannot be recovered.
According to him, the absence of Nkanu’s remains did not automatically remove the coroner’s jurisdiction to investigate the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
The Lagos State Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, also urged the court to dismiss Euracare’s suit.
However, Euracare’s counsel, Taiwo Osipitan, argued that the hospital should not be forced to present its evidence first when the complainant, who had alleged medical incompetence, had yet to present its case.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Aisat Opesanwo reserved ruling on the matter until October 12, 2026.
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