Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has publicly alleged negligence in the medical care that preceded the death of her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi, and called for a judicial inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death. In a statement published on her verified Instagram account on Saturday, Adichie said she……
Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has publicly alleged negligence in the medical care that preceded the death of her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi, and called for a judicial inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death.
In a statement published on her verified Instagram account on Saturday, Adichie said she decided to make public a letter she had previously sent to the chairman of the board of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos.
The author said her son died following treatment at the hospital and described the loss as devastating for her family.
“I wake up every single morning with my heart racing. Did this really happen?” she wrote in the accompanying Instagram caption. “My precious son, Nkanu Nnamdi. My Kankan, my diokpala.”
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In the letter, Adichie recounted memories of her son and described the impact of his death on her family, including his twin brother, sister, parents and extended relatives.
She further alleged that hospital officials initially informed her that her son had received an excessive amount of propofol during sedation and claimed that this led to complications that ultimately resulted in his death. Adichie also disputed information she said was recorded on her son’s death certificate and questioned the hospital’s handling of medical records and internal documentation related to the case.
According to the author, hospital representatives initially acknowledged errors in the care provided to her son but later changed their position. She also alleged that efforts to obtain records and information about the incident were met with delays.
Adichie stated that she made the letter public because, in her view, remaining silent would allow what she described as wrongdoing to go unchallenged.
In her Instagram post, she said Euracare had initially sought an inquest into the death but is now attempting to halt the process through legal action. She argued that an inquest is necessary to establish the facts surrounding her son’s death.
“An inquest is a public judicial inquiry designed to establish the circumstances surrounding a death,” she wrote. “It is not a trial. It is not a claim for damages. It is simply a search for the truth.”
Adichie also said she did not want individuals mentioned in her letter to be personally targeted and noted that she had redacted some names before releasing the document publicly.
The allegations contained in the letter represent Adichie’s account of events. The statement does not include a response from Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, and the claims have not been independently verified in the materials reviewed by this publication.
She concluded her statement by thanking supporters and requesting prayers for her family as they continue to grieve the loss of their son.
“This weight is too heavy,” she wrote.