The quest to uncover the true cause of the death of celebrity author Chimamanda Adichie’s son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege, continues, with his father, Ivara Esege, stating that the family will not relent until justice is served.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Nkanu, who Mr Esege had with his wife, award-winning author Chimamanda Adichie, died on 7 January at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos.
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The medical doctor, in an opinion piece published in The Guardian newspaper on Friday and shared on his wife’s Instagram page on Sunday, accused the hospital of trying to block a public judicial process because it has something to hide.
He added that the quest to establish the cause of his 21-month-old son’s death was not for his family alone, but for all Nigerians.
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Mr Esege said, “We are waiting and hoping that Euracare will not be able to use its wealth and power to stop an inquest. If this is allowed to happen, it will be a mockery and abuse of the entire judicial system. I can only imagine how many other Nigerian families must have suffered a similar fate in silence because they did not have the resources to counter adversarial actions from a powerful hospital.
“This is not just about us but about making sure that things are done properly for everyone. Healthcare delivery in Nigeria will not improve otherwise. I never want to see another parent lose their child in such a careless way, from something completely preventable if proper procedure is followed.”
24 hours
Furthermore, the family physician revealed that his son arrived at Euracare conscious, interactive, and with stable vital signs.
According to him, Nkanu was referred to Euracare Hospital for diagnostic procedures, including an MRI scan, PICC line insertion, and a lumbar puncture.
“He was to be transferred the following day to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States for treatment. Less than 24 hours after arriving at Euracare, he was dead. It is putting it mildly to call the loss of Nkanu devastating.
“We were in a state of shock. We had lingering trauma from too many burials in our family. Most recently, I buried my younger brother, Andrew. I could not bear another burial, especially of my own son.
“I should not be burying my son; it is my son who should bury me. We were scheduled to leave Nigeria, and frankly, we did not want to stay much longer. We decided to cremate our son and take him with us. I told the Euracare Chief Medical Director of our decision and asked if he could recommend a place in Lagos where we could have the cremation done. He recommended Ebony Funeral Home, where Nkanu was subsequently cremated,” said Mr Esege.
Trust
Mr Esege also noted that his family had initially trusted Euracare because his parents-in-law had attended the hospital for regular check-ups, rather than treatment, many years earlier.
He explained that the family did not realise that ownership and management of the hospital had since changed hands and that Ilwosan Investments Limited now owns it.
He said, “We wanted to understand the full picture of what happened to our son. We asked Euracare for Nkanu’s complete medical records and incident reports, which they refused to provide, and this was our first indication of animosity from Euracare. Euracare promised to conduct a full investigation, but they never did.
“In a letter dated 28 January, 2026, addressed to the Chief Coroner of Lagos, we requested the conduct of an inquest into our son’s death. An inquest is a public judicial process done to determine all the facts surrounding a death, especially when a death is unusual. The coroner brought to our attention that Euracare Hospital had already requested an inquest, and a preliminary meeting had already been held.”
Inquest
Mr Esege further stated that, in its application following Nkanu’s death, the hospital described the death as unexpected and one that would require an inquest.
He added that the hospital had set the process in motion and that his family had joined the inquest, with the first sitting scheduled for 25 February.
“I joined by Zoom from the US. It was made clear that the body had been cremated, and Euracare Hospital stated, ‘We are ready to proceed despite the news of cremation.’ While discussing the order of evidence presentation, it was agreed that Euracare Hospital should present first, followed by our presentation.
“The coroner then proceeded to direct as follows: ‘Most inquests have the family start first, for a logical sequence, but Euracare have conceded to commence, having applied for the inquest in the first place. Thus, it will be Euracare – family of the deceased – Atlantis Hospital’.”
Mourning
Mr Esege added that the inquest might have concluded by now had his family been dealing with an honest hospital.
He said the postponement of the inquest to October 2026, nine months after their son’s death, has denied his family the peace of mind they need to mourn.
“It has been a nightmare dealing with Euracare while keeping life as normal as possible for our daughter and for Nkanu’s twin brother and trying to protect my wife from much of this upheaval.
“On a separate note, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, which is a statutory body that regulates medical practice in Nigeria, set up an Investigative Panel into Nkanu’s death.
By a letter dated 25 February 2026, the panel found that the Euracare Chief Medical Director, Dr Tosin Majekodunmi, and the anaesthesiologist who administered sedation on Nkanu at Euracare, Dr Titus Ogundare, have a case of negligence to answer to.”
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