The Lagos State High Court has dismissed an application by a hospital seeking to stop an inquest into the death of Nkanu Esege, the 21-month-old son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The decision allows proceedings to continue as authorities seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
The application was filed by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, the operators of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, where Nkanu died on January 7, 2026.
Delivering judgment on Monday, October 12, 2026, Justice Aishat Opesanwo ruled “that the absence of the child’s body following cremation did not deprive the coroner’s court of jurisdiction to conduct the inquest”.
The hospital had argued that conducting the inquest without the child’s body for a post-mortem examination could result in speculative findings. It also raised objections to the procedures for receiving testimony from medical personnel and other parties involved.
However, the judge clarified that a coroner’s inquest is a fact-finding process intended to establish the circumstances surrounding a death, rather than a criminal or civil trial aimed at determining liability or imposing punishment.
The ruling clears the way for the inquest into Nkanu’s death to proceed, with the aim of establishing the facts surrounding the incident.
