Chimamanda Adichie has served Euracare Hospital in Lagos with a legal notice alleging medical negligence and professional impropriety in the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died on January 7 after complications during a series of preparatory medical procedures.
The notice, issued by solicitors led by Professor Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate Of Nigeria (SAN), accused Euracare, its anaesthesiologist, and other attending medical personnel of breaching their duty of care.
The legal document, dated January 10, claimed that the child had been referred from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital on January 6 for critical procedures in preparation for an emergency medical evacuation.
These procedures included an echocardiogram, a brain MRI, a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture, with intravenous sedation administered using propofol.
The notice noted that a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, United States, was on standby to receive the child.
According to the notice, complications arose while Nkanu was transported from the MRI suite to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory under sedation, ultimately resulting in his death.
“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, including movement between clinical areas without adherence to critical patient-safety protocols.
The notice cited potential issues with propofol dosing, inadequate airway protection, insufficient monitoring, and transport without supplemental oxygen, proper equipment, or adequate medical personnel.
Euracare Hospital has been given seven days to provide certified copies of all relevant medical records, including admission notes, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, procedural notes, ICU records, and the identities of all staff involved.
The hospital was also instructed to preserve all evidence, including CCTV footage, electronic monitoring data, pharmacy records, and internal communications.
The legal notice warned that failure to comply or destruction of evidence would result in legal action and all available judicial remedies.
The Lagos State government has also launched its own investigation into the allegations.