- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that her son Nkanu died after undergoing a medical procedure at a hospital in Lagos.
- The family claims gross medical negligence, improper sedation and a lack of monitoring that led to the seizures and cardiac arrest.
- The incident has reignited concerns about patient safety and accountability in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has issued a heartbreaking statement detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of her young son Nkanu following a medical procedure at Euracare Hospital in Lagos.
Nkanu was reportedly ill but in stable condition and planned to travel to the United States the next day to receive advanced medical care. A team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is reportedly ready to receive him. As part of preparations for the journey, doctors in Nigeria recommended routine procedures, including MRIs, lumbar punctures and the insertion of a central line for intravenous drugs.
Adichie said the family was referred to Euracare from Atlantis Hospital, which was considered the most suitable facility for the surgery. On the morning of January 6, Nkanu was carried in his father’s arms and taken to Euracare. The family was told they would need to be sedated to prevent movement during the procedure.
What followed was a series of devastating events, the statement said. Nkanu was reportedly injected with propofol, after which he was neither adequately monitored nor properly supervised. He later suffered a seizure and suffered cardiac arrest. The child was pronounced dead hours later.
“It turns out that Nkanu was never monitored after taking too much propofol.” The statement said, adding that no one could determine the exact time he became unresponsive.
The family further accuses the attending anesthetist of gross negligence, claiming that proper medical protocols were not followed and critical safety measures, including oxygen monitoring, were ignored.
“The anesthetist’s negligence was criminal. He was extremely casual and careless with the precious life of the child. Proper protocol was not followed,” the statement read.
Adichie captures the depth of this family’s grief in her moving words:
“We brought an unwell but stable child with us and planned to leave the next day. We came to perform basic procedures and suddenly our beautiful little boy was gone forever. I will never survive the pain of losing a child.”
The family also claims to have since been informed of previous allegations involving the same anesthetist and is calling for accountability, transparency and a full investigation into the incident.
