Adichie serves Euracare Hospital legal notice over alleged negligence in son’s death

 

Chimamanda Adichie has served Euracare Hospital in Lagos with a legal notice, alleging that medical negligence and professional impropriety led to the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.

Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died on January 7, 2026, following complications during a series of preparatory medical procedures.

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The legal notice, dated January 10, alleges that the attending anaesthesiologist and other medical personnel at Euracare breached their duty of care. According to the filing, the child had been referred to Euracare from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital on January 6 for critical procedures ahead of an emergency medical evacuation.

The procedures reportedly included an echocardiogram, a brain MRI, the insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture. Intravenous sedation was said to have been administered using propofol. The notice added that a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, United States, was already on standby to receive the child.

The legal document further stated that while the child was being transported from the MRI suite to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory under sedation, he suffered sudden and severe complications that culminated in his death.

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“Our clients inform us that these procedures were required as part of the preparatory process for the child’s transfer and medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, was already on standby to receive him,” the notice reads in part.

“It is our further brief that sedation was administered on the child at your facility using propofol. During transport to the cath lab following the MRI procedure under intravenous sedation, the child suffered sudden and severe complications, culminating in his untimely death on the 7th of January, 2026.”

Adichie’s legal representatives outlined several alleged lapses in care, claiming that the child was moved between clinical areas without strict adherence to patient-safety protocols.

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The notice raised concerns over possible propofol dosing issues, inadequate airway protection, lack of continuous monitoring, and transportation without supplemental oxygen, appropriate equipment, or sufficient medical personnel.

The notice demands that Euracare Hospital provide, within seven days, certified copies of all medical records related to the child’s care. These include admission notes, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, procedural notes, ICU records, and the identities of all medical staff involved.

The hospital was also instructed to preserve all evidence, including CCTV footage, electronic monitoring data, pharmacy records, and internal communications.

The notice warned that any failure to comply, or the destruction of evidence, would result in legal action and the pursuit of all available judicial remedies.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has ordered an investigation into the allegations.