Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken publicly about the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, stating that he would still be alive if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6. She explained that the statement was originally shared privately with family and close friends.
According to Adichie, the family was in Lagos for Christmas when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a cold but later became a severe infection. He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital and was scheduled to be flown to the United States the next day, accompanied by travelling doctors, with a team at Johns Hopkins Hospital waiting to receive him. Tests requested included an MRI, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line in preparation for travel. Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare Hospital to carry out the procedures.
On the morning of January 6, Nkanu was taken to Euracare. He was sedated with propofol to prevent movement during the MRI and central line procedure. Adichie said she noticed unusual activity when medical staff rushed into the theater. She was later informed that Nkanu had been given too much propofol, became unresponsive, and was resuscitated.
Soon after, he was placed on a ventilator, intubated, admitted to the ICU, and began experiencing seizures and cardiac arrest—conditions he had never previously had. He died hours later.
Adichie alleged that Nkanu was never properly monitored after sedation, describing the anesthesiologist’s actions as criminally negligent and careless. She also claimed the same anesthesiologist had previously overdosed other children and questioned why he was allowed to continue working. She concluded by calling for accountability to prevent similar tragedies.
