Chimamanda’s lawyers serve notice on Lagos hospital, doctor suspended
Lawyers representing renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, have formally written to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos over the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.
The development comes as the Lagos State Government confirmed the suspension of the anaesthesiologist involved, while investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
In a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, solicitors acting for Chimamanda and her partner, Dr Ivara Esege, alleged that the hospital, its anaesthesiologist and other attending medical staff breached the duty of care owed to their son, who died in the early hours of Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
The notice, issued by law firm PINHEIRO LP and signed by its founding partner, Prof Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), said the child was referred to Euracare on January 6, 2026, from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital for diagnostic and preparatory procedures.
These included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture—procedures meant to prepare him for an emergency medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist team was reportedly on standby.
According to the lawyers, intravenous sedation was administered using propofol.
However, during his transfer to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory after the MRI, the child allegedly developed sudden and severe complications.
Although still under sedation, he was said to have been moved between clinical areas in circumstances that raised “serious and substantive concerns” about adherence to patient-safety standards. He was later pronounced dead in the early hours of January 7, 2026.
The notice detailed several alleged failures in paediatric anaesthetic and procedural care. These included questions about the appropriateness and cumulative dosage of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection during deep sedation, and an alleged lack of continuous physiological monitoring.
The parents further claimed their son was transferred without supplemental oxygen, without proper monitoring, and without sufficient medical staff accompanying him.
They also raised concerns about the availability of basic resuscitation equipment, delays in recognising and managing respiratory or cardiovascular distress, and a general failure to follow established paediatric anaesthesia, patient-transfer and safety protocols.
Another key complaint was the alleged failure of the hospital to fully disclose the risks and side effects of propofol and other anaesthetic agents, which the lawyers said undermined the legal requirement for informed consent.
According to the solicitors, these alleged lapses amount to prima facie breaches of duty of care and make the hospital and medical staff involved liable for medical negligence leading to the child’s death.
As part of their next legal steps, the parents demanded certified copies of all medical records relating to their son’s treatment within seven days.
The documents requested include admission notes, consent forms, pre-anaesthetic assessments, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, procedural notes, nursing records, ICU documents, incident reports, and the identities of all medical personnel involved.
They also asked for internal reviews, MRI suite safety logs, and any other records connected to the child’s care.
The hospital was further placed on notice to preserve all relevant physical and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage from procedure rooms and corridors, electronic monitoring data, pharmacy and drug inventory records, emergency equipment logs, internal communications, and any morbidity and mortality reviews.
The solicitors warned that “any destruction, alteration, or loss of such evidence after receipt of this letter shall be regarded as suppression or concealment of evidence and obstruction of the course of justice, and will be relied upon accordingly, with attendant legal consequences.”
They added that failure to comply within the stipulated time would leave the parents with no choice but to pursue all available legal, regulatory and judicial remedies against the hospital and all medical staff involved.
Euracare Hospital, in a statement on Saturday, said it had begun “a detailed investigation” into the incident in line with its clinical governance standards and best practices, while pledging to cooperate transparently with all relevant clinical and regulatory processes.
Lagos State Government said it had launched its own investigation and vowed to ensure that the full weight of the law is applied.
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, told The PUNCH that the doctor involved in the child’s procedure had been suspended by the hospital’s management, noting that the hospital was cooperating with the government in the investigation.
“It’s an active investigation. We started yesterday (Saturday). We’ve been there (at the clinic), and I can tell you it’s a continuous investigation. The hospital itself is also doing its own internal investigation, and as far as we know, the anaesthesiologist involved has been suspended by the hospital,” Ogunyemi said. (TheNiche)
