Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Alleges Medical Negligence in Son’s Death at Lagos Hospital

Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos hospital of medical negligence following the tragic death of her young son, Nkanu, on January 6, 2025.

According to Adichie, her son had been spending the Christmas holidays in Lagos when what began as a mild cold progressed into a serious infection. He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital, where medical staff stabilized his condition and arranged for his transfer to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, United States, for specialized treatment.

As part of the preparation for his scheduled January 7 transfer, doctors requested several routine procedures: an MRI scan, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line to administer intravenous medication during travel. Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital to perform these procedures.

On the morning of January 6, Nkanu was transported from Atlantis to Euracare Hospital. Medical staff sedated him to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While waiting outside the operating theater, his mother noticed staff rushing into the room, indicating a medical emergency.

A doctor subsequently informed her that the anesthesiologist had administered an excessive dose of propofol, rendering Nkanu unresponsive. Although medical personnel initially resuscitated him, he was intubated, placed on a ventilator, and transferred to intensive care. He later developed seizures and suffered cardiac arrest before dying several hours later.

Adichie alleges multiple failures in medical protocol, including inadequate monitoring after sedation, absence of continuous observation equipment, improper patient transport by the anesthesiologist, and premature discontinuation of oxygen support.

The grieving mother has described the anesthesiologist’s actions as “criminally negligent” and claims to have since discovered at least two previous incidents in which the same doctor allegedly overdosed pediatric patients. She is questioning why the anesthesiologist was permitted to continue practicing at the facility.

“We brought in a child who was ill but stable and expected to travel the next day,” Adichie stated. “We went in for routine procedures, and our child never came back.”