The fight to find out what caused the death of Chimamanda Adichie’s son, Nkanu Adichie-Esege, is still on. His father, Ivara Esege, said the family will keep pushing until they get justice.
Nkanu, the son of Chimamanda Adichie and Ivara Esege, passed away on January 7 at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos. Mr Esege shared this information after PREMIUM TIMES reported on the incident.
In an opinion piece in The Guardian newspaper, and shared on his wife’s Instagram page, Mr Esege accused the hospital of trying to block a public investigation because they might be hiding something.
He said finding out why his 21-month-old son died is not just for his family, but for all Nigerians. Mr Esege stated, “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.”
Mr Esege, a medical doctor, revealed that Nkanu arrived at Euracare conscious and stable. He said his son was sent to the hospital for tests, including an MRI, a 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.
He added that his family had trusted Euracare because his parents-in-law had gone there for regular check-ups long ago. Mr Esege noted that they did not know the hospital had changed ownership and is now run by Ilwosan Investments Limited.
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 January 28, 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.”
Mr Esege added that after Nkanu’s death, the hospital described it as unexpected and said it would require an inquest. He mentioned that the inquest process had started and that his family would join in, with the first sitting set for February 25.
“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 directed that most inquests have the family start first, but Euracare has conceded to commence, having applied for the inquest in the first place.”
Mr Esege said the inquest might have ended by now if they were dealing with an honest hospital. He expressed that delaying the inquest to October 2026, nine months after their son’s death, has made it hard for his family to find peace.
“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 regulates medical practice in Nigeria, set up an Investigative Panel into Nkanu’s death.
By a letter dated February 25, 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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