Nigerian author, Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, have lost one of their twin sons, Nkanu Nnamdi.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Ms Omawumi Ogbe, on behalf of the family, the 21-month-old baby passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, after a brief illness.
The statement said the family is devastated by the loss, and requested that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.
“We’re deeply saddened to confirm the passing of one of Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr Ivara Esege’s twin boys, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed on Wednesday, 7th of January 2026, after a brief illness. He was 21 months old.
“The family is devastated by this profound loss, and we request that their privacy be respected during this incredibly difficult time.
“We ask for your grace and prayers as they mourn in private.
“No further statements will be made, and we thank the public and the media for respecting their need for seclusion during this period of immense grief,” the statement read.
Ms Adichie is known for works including Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah and her 2012 Ted Talk and essay We Should All Be Feminists, which was sampled by Beyoncé on her 2013 song Flawless.
The 48 year old writer had her first child, a daughter, in 2016. In 2024, her twin boys were born using a surrogate.
In 2020, her 2006 novel Half of a Yellow Sun was voted the best book to have won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in its 25-year history.
Her latest book, Dream Count, was published in 2025.